


Street Magic

by Shadowjumper3



Category: Transformers (Bay Movies)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-12
Updated: 2018-02-01
Packaged: 2018-09-08 01:23:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 43,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8824543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowjumper3/pseuds/Shadowjumper3
Summary: Emily Whitefield was a street performer with superpowers. Orphaned she lived on the streets of Mission City. But one day, she saves Major William Lennox. What she doesn't know is that he works with the Autobots. Soon, she gets wrapped in the raging war between the Autobots and the Decepticons. Follow her journey to find who she really is and how she helps the Autobots.





	1. I Got the Magic In Me

My past is secretive. I don't talk about it much. I have abilities beyond regular human standards. I wander the streets with my violin to earn money. As an orphan, it's hard to attract anyone's attention. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. The name's Emily, no last name. I'm a 17 year old musician and I wound up in Mission City to be a street performer. What I didn't know was that I would be a part of something bigger...  
Word on the streets says that aliens were attacking the city and we had to evacuate. People were screaming and running by the time I heard about it. I scrambled to gather all my things that I had left; my violin, my backpack with my sketchbook and a picture of my dead parents. I was almost done when I heard a man shout at me.  
"Hey kid! What are you doing here? You need leave!" he shouted. He was dressed all in camo, waving his hands for me to go.  
"I know! I know! I just need to get my stuff!" I yelled back. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of the aliens I heard about coming towards us. Oblivious, the soldier didn't see it. The alien was coming closer now but it had its gun out, pointing not at us but at the building we were standing by. My eyes widened with realization. I don't like using my powers in public but it was now or never.  
"Do you trust me?" I asked the man.

"What?!" he shouted with confusion.

"Do you trust me?!" I yelled.

"No. Why would I...." his voice trailed off.  
BBBOOOMMM! The alien robot had already fired its gun at the building we were near. As the building begins to collapse, debris started to fall. Closing my eyes, I hoped that it would work out. I raised my hand toward the man, who was very slowly starting to back away. Eventually, the WHOLE thing fell. CLANG! SCREECH! It went on for at least 2 minutes. During that time I felt something huge and very hard land on my left leg. Then, silence. I opened my eyes. I was relieved to see that my force field had protected the man in camo. I, however, wasn't AS lucky. I looked down at my leg. Apparently, a foot wide pipe had literally crushed my leg and it was hurting like CRAZY. That's the thing with my force fields: I can't use 2 at once. Lowering my hand for the man in camo looked over at me with an expression on his face that I couldn't read. Then, he saw that I was pinned and ran over to me.  
"What just happened? Did you just..." he partially asked. I nodded.

"What's your name kid?" he asked.

"Emily."

"My name's Lennox. Captain Lennox of the US Army. How did you do ...whatever you did?"

"Ye had of little faith." I said weakly.  
Lennox chuckled lightly, turned his attention to my leg and just barely lifted the pipe off my leg. I tried to get up but I couldn't. Lennox, seeing me struggle then picked me up bridal style and started to walk towards an opening in the debris. I was fading in and out due to the pain. He then whispered something in my ear that I could barely make out.  
"Thanks for saving my life back there."  
Then blackness took over.  
3rd POV  
The battle was over by the time Lennox reaches the opening. Seeing Emily unconscious, he radioed Ratchet.  
"Captain Lennox! What happened? You were unavailable to reach by radio for a few minutes." the CMO said.

"I'll explain later, Ratchet, but right now could you hurry to where I am? A girl is injured severely and she needs a hospital."

"Alright. I'm on my way."

Time Skip  
Beep!...Beep!...Beep!...Beep!  
Jeez, can somebody turn that alarm off? Wait a minute. Since when do I have an alarm? Wake up! Something isn't right! My eyes snap open. I'm in a hospital. Wait why am I in a hospital? What happened? I start to get up but someone stops me. My eyes adjust to the light and suddenly recognize who it is. Lennox is standing over me.

"You really shouldn't do that." He says.  
I smiled, and then frowned.  
"Why?" I asked. His face then showed a worried expression. Oh no. I thought. He hesitated in answering.

"Why?" I said a bit more forcefully.  
Lennox then sharply inhaled and spilled it.

"You gotta understand that your leg was crushed and it was beyond beyond repair."  
My eyes widened in shock. No. No no no no no! Frantically without thinking, I ripped off the bed covers. Instead of an actual, real life leg, there was a prosthetic limb. I started to cry. Lennox then came over to me and hugged me.  
"Shhh, it's ok. It's going to be ok." He said reassuringly.

"H-h-how long was I-I-I ou-ou-out since the attack?" I stuttered.

"A day. Listen, Emily, how did you save me?" he asked. I suddenly went quiet. Tell him. He has the right to know since you saved him. My conscious said.

"Ok but please promise you won't freak out!" I blurted out.  
Lennox slowly nodded.  
I took a deep breath and prepared for his reaction for what I was about to show him. Concentrating, I slowly began to what I call: ghost out, become invisible, literally. After a few seconds, I was back to myself.  
"I would rather not show the other thing in here, in a hospital." I said.

"How old are you?" Lennox suddenly asked.

"17." I said. He was quiet for a moment. Then he said,

"Get some rest, Emily. If it's ok with you, I would like to talk about this more tomorrow."  
I nodded and as he left the room, the voice in my head was pleased. You did good. You can trust him. After that, I let myself fall asleep.  
Once Lennox left Emily's room, he left to go to N.E.S.T. He had some things to discuss with the Autobots. A few hours later, William Lennox arrived at base and Optimus and Ratchet were both waiting for him. He greeted both mechs. Ratchet was the first to speak up.  
"How is the girl?"

"A little shaken up. She just got out of surgery. It will probably take a few weeks for her to start walking again." Lennox paused.

"Is there something else you wish to share?" Optimus asked.

"Yeah. What color is energon?" Optimus and Ratchet had bewildered expressions on their holoforms' faces. They were a little startled by Lennox's question.

"It could be a pink, purple or blue. Why?" Ratchet asked.

"Emily has something I have never seen before. She saved me back in Mission City, using a force field. She showed me that she can turn invisible and there is another power that she couldn't show me at the hospital. I don't if she was born with them or if someone or something did it her." Lennox explained.  
"May we come with you next time you visit Emily? We would like to observe her demonstration of her abilities." Ratchet asked.

Lennox nodded. "I'm going back tomorrow. But I think both of you should use your holoforms when go to see her."

"Of course. Captain Lennox, may I ask how old Emily is?" the Prime asked.

"She's 17. Still just a kid. Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow then!" Lennox waved goodbye as he left to get a good night's sleep. He needed it.  
The Next Day  
I almost forgot where I was...again. After I woke up, I tried getting up but no luck. One of the nurses was kind enough to leave a wheelchair by my bed. I almost fell off my bed in attempt to get in the wheelchair. Finally, I managed to plop myself in it and wheel my way around my bed and to my violin. Oh, how I missed playing you! I thought. I tuned it up and then thought for a minute what song to play. A song came to mind and started to played the intro to Counting Stars by One Republic.  
Lately I been, I been losing sleep  
Dreaming about the things that we could be  
But baby, I been, I been prayin' hard  
Said no more counting dollars  
We'll be counting stars  
Yeah, we'll be counting stars  
[Verse 1]  
I see this life  
Like a swinging vine  
Swing my heart across the line  
In my face is flashing signs  
Seek it out and ye shall find  
Old, but I'm not that old  
Young, but I'm not that bold  
And I don't think the world is sold  
I'm just doing what we're told  
I feel something so right  
By doing the wrong thing  
And I feel something so wrong  
By doing the right thing  
I couldn't lie, couldn't lie, couldn't lie  
Everything that kills me makes me feel alive  
Some of the patients and staff who were walking the halls heard me and stopped to listen. I didn't notice so I kept going.  
[Chorus]  
Lately I been, I been losing sleep (hey!)  
Dreaming about the things that we could be  
But baby, I been, I been prayin' hard (hey!)  
Said no more counting dollars  
We'll be counting stars  
Lately I been, I been losing sleep (hey!)  
Dreaming about the things that we could be  
But baby, I been, I been prayin' hard (hey!)  
Said no more counting dollars  
We'll be, we'll be counting stars  
[Verse 2]  
I feel the love  
And I feel it burn  
Down this river every turn  
Hope is our four letter word  
Make that money  
Watch it burn  
Old, but I'm not that old  
Young, but I'm not that bold  
And I don't think the world is sold  
I'm just doing what we're told  
And I feel something so wrong  
By doing the right thing  
I couldn't lie, couldn't lie, couldn't lie  
Everything that drowns me makes me wanna fly  
Little did I know that William Lennox and 2 other men were also listening.  
[Chorus]  
Lately I been, I been losing sleep (hey!)  
Dreaming about the things that we could be  
But baby, I been, I been prayin' hard  
Said no more counting dollars  
We'll be counting stars  
Lately I been, I been losing sleep (hey!)  
Dreaming about the things that we could be  
But baby, I been, I been prayin' hard (hey!)  
Said no more counting dollars  
We'll be, we'll be counting stars  
Oh, oh, oh.  
Take that money  
Watch it burn  
Sing in the river  
The lessons I learned  
Everything that kills me makes me feel alive  
[Chorus]  
Lately I been, I been losing sleep (hey!)  
Dreaming about the things that we could be  
But baby, I been, I been prayin' hard (hey!)  
Said no more counting dollars  
We'll be counting stars  
Lately I been, I been losing sleep  
Dreaming about the things that we could be  
But baby, I been, I been prayin' hard  
Said no more counting dollars  
We'll be, we'll be counting stars  
Take that money  
Watch it burn  
Sing in the river  
The lessons I learned  
When the song ended, I was startled to hear clapping and whistling from everyone who had listened. I blushed. You just got ambushed. My conscious said. I did a little bow and wheeled my way back to my bed. Once everyone left, I smiled to myself. Then, Lennox and the 2 unfamiliar men entered my room. Lennox was the first to greet me.  
"Hey, Em! How are you feelin'? We heard you singing. You have a great voice by the way."

"Thanks. I'm...ok. A bit better than yesterday I guess." I answered nervously. I looked towards the 2 men with Lennox. One looked 50 years old and was wearing a yellow and red shirt with black pants. The other looked a bit older and wore red and blue all over. Lennox, then forgetting about the two disguised mechs, looked to Prime and Ratchet, who nodded, and introduced them.  
"Emily, this is Ratchet and Optimus. Remember when I said I am an Army Ranger? Well, I work with N.E.S.T. which is a government branch that works with the good-guy version of the bot that attacked us at Mission City. Optimus here is the leader of the Autobots and Ratchet is a medic. These are their holoforms."  
I stared at all 3 of them in shock, feeling myself ghost out for a sec or two. Embarrassed, I hid my face, waiting for my ghosting phase to pass. After a few seconds, I went back to reality. I tried to explain my abilities to them.  
"I was born with them. I have 3. The one type you just saw is something I call ghosting. I can render my body invisible, although I still need a little practice in turning my clothes invisible too, but you get the idea. The second is what and how I saved Cpt. Lennox: a force field and the last is a little hard to show you right now and I would rather not show you here." I explained hurriedly. Optimus looked rather puzzled while Ratchet was still slightly stunned.

"Have you revealed to anyone of your gifts?" Optimus asked me.

"Only Capt. Lennox, no one else, sir." I replied.

"Do you have any family you want to talk to?" Lennox asked gently.

"No, I lost my parents a few years ago." I said weakly with a frown.

"William and Ratchet, may I speak to you both outside for a moment?" the Prime asked.

"Sure." As they all got up, Lennox tussled my hair.

"I'll be back in a few, Em 'Kay?"

"Ok." I smiled. The trio was gone for 10 minutes.

"I would like to bring her back to base." Prime stated.

"But Optimus, why? We can't just bring a young civilian to NEST for no reason!" Ratchet argued.

"Because I believe Emily's abilities are comprised of Energon." Prime answered.

"What? That's impossible. No human can harness Energon like that, especially at her age." the CMO. Optimus ignored him and turned to Lennox.

"What are your thoughts?" he asked.

"Well, I'll have to get authorization from Morshower to have her come to the base. She will have to get sleeping quarters, clothes and food." Lennox said thoughtfully and left to talk to his "boss" for about 5 minutes.

"You are not seriously letting a human girl come to the NEST base? Let alone have her stay?" Ratchet said.

"We have to make sure that this is true, what Lennox is implying. The Decepticons might also be after her for what she has. That is why this is the only option, Ratchet. Besides, she has no family." Prime said. Ratchet looked to him and said:

"Are you sure that this is a wise thing, bringing her with us?"

"I trust that more of Emily's past will shed some light in our questions."

Playlist  
Counting Stars by One Republic  
I've Got the Magic In Me by B.O.B.


	2. Extraterrestrial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily meets the Autobots, with drastic consequences.

I wound up stuck in the hospital for a few days before I was able to be discharged. Go? Go where? Oh right. I was an orphan. Well, so much for that. Anyways, the day after Major Lennox had visited; I had been packing up my stuff, although it was a little hard to do considering my leg was pretty much useless at the moment. I was surprised however, when Major Lennox came in again that day.  
"Hey, Em. You ready to go?" he greeted.  
Wait what? Go? Didn't I just establish that I had nowhere to go? I like Lennox and all but why was I going with him?  
"Go? Where am I going?" I asked confused.

"I'm taking you to my base." He said simply.  
I raised an eyebrow in confusion. Why was he doing that? Had I done something wrong?   
"Ooookkkaaayy. Why?" I drawled out. 

"You might be danger." Lennox replied as he turned to me with a worried look on his face.

"From who? The robots that almost killed us a week ago?"   
A nod was all I needed to confirm that I was doomed. God! What has my life come to? Its already messed up as it is. Why not add a bit more of crazy to the mix? I sighed and started to pack up all my stuff as Major Lennox signed the discharged papers. Once I was ready, we headed out to the parking lot, where a Peterbilt truck with red and blue flames. I had to admit, it had style. Lennox helped me in and got in the driver's seat. The Peterbilt was big and roomy, although I was a little nervous about the symbol on the steering wheel. It looked familiar from something that happened a year ago. I couldn't remember. Anyways, the ride to Major Lennox's base was actually not that long. Soon, we were at the base and I saw electric fences and a sign that read: Trespassers will be prosecuted. How welcoming.   
Suddenly, the semi came to a stop inside a large indoor hanger inside the base. Lennox got out and I wheeled my way over to him.

"So, what now?" I asked.  
"You are going to meet my team. Bobby!" Lennox called over an African American man who had a smile on his face as he looked down at me.

"Hey Lennox. This Emily? I expected her to be taller." He said with a wicked grin.

"Oh making crack jokes on the crippled? I see how it is! I'll have you know that I am 5' 3''!" I retorted with a death glare. Lennox clapped his hands.

"Okay! Emily, this is Robert Epps, my right hand man and best friend."

"But you can call me Bobby or Epps." 

"Nah I think I'm gonna call you the Joker of Apathy. It sounds better." I reply, complete with an eye roll.  
Epps just stood there, while Lennox started laughing his head off.  
"So you wanted to have me meet the rest of your team?" I asked Lennox, who was recovering from his laughing fit.

"Yeah, but I just want to warn you: they are nothing like what you saw in Mission City. Epps, could you let them know that we're ready?"   
Epps nodded and ran in the direction from we came in. Lennox's words worried me. What did that mean? Were they like? Hopefully, they wouldn't try and squish me or see me as a freak. Did all of his team know about me and my powers? I was about to find out.  
Lennox wheeled me back to the main hanger and I saw the red and blue flame Peterbilt. A black GMC truck, yellow Camaro, yellow emergency Hummer, and a silver Pontiac Solstice were all parked in a semi-circle. My eyebrow arched in confusion. So where was the rest of his team? Weren't these just their cars? I saw no one else around other than Epps and Lennox. 

"So are we waiting for them or..." I trailed off. My question was the answered with Lennox saying aloud:

"Alright you guys! You're good to go!"  
What happened made me ghost rapidly.  
The vehicles transformed.   
My eyes widened as I started to slowly try and get out of the wheelchair. A flashback suddenly came back to me.   
A strange and out of place police cruiser speeding away from my parents' crime scene.   
The same one was at Mission City.  
The next thing I knew I was sprinting, without realizing I was using my prosthetic limb. But at this point, I could care less. Adrenaline pumped through my veins and my heartbeat quickened. There were voices shouting behind me:  
"Emily, wait!"

"The girl should not be walking, let alone running on her prosthetic yet."  
I heard thundering footsteps and I picked up speed while flickering in and out of visibility. 

"Holy Primus! 'Lil lady runs faster than a turbofox!"  
Suddenly, a giant metal foot slammed into view and immediately, darkness clouded my vision. 

Playlist  
Extraterrestrial by Katy Perry


	3. Hello

I found myself in the same familiar car that I was in that fateful night. My parents were in the front while I was behind them. My mom was talking to dad about directions to the Empire State Building. We were touring New York that day and the very last thing I wanted to do was see the view of the city from the Empire State Building.  
"Honey, calm down. I know which way I'm going." My dad reassured my mom, who rolled her eyes in amusement.

"Are you sure about that? 'Cuz, last time I looked, you had no clue where the community pool was." I said. It was true. We had been living in New Jersey for about a month or so and my dad still had no idea where the community pool was. I had been giving him a hard time ever since.

"Robert, why didn't you ask for directions? Or better yet, bring the GPS?" Mom asked. I shook my head in amusement at their antics. Nothing was going to get them to shut up so I decided to get some sleep. As I closed my eyes, I didn't realize that that was the last time I was going to see my parents.

3rd POV  
There was an accident on 33rd Street in NYC. Ambulance and police lights were flashing. They had all gotten the same call: a blue Nissan Ultima crashed into a police cruiser and ran into a light post, having it fall onto the vehicle. The two adults in the front were killed and the girl in the back seat barely had any injuries. She had been asleep so her body was relaxed. But she was pinned between the pole and the seat and she wasn't breathing. The paramedics frantically tried to get her out, into the ambulance and to the hospital.  
"Charlie, get me the AED and the face mask!" one of the paramedics shouted. He then started CPR, praying to God that the teen would stay with him long enough to get treatment. The AED and face mask were brought and after what seemed like forever, the girl gave a wheezing gasp for air. Her body shook as she looked at the wreckage, realized what had happened and screamed.

Present Day  
I gasped for air as I shot up from my position from lying down on my back and felt myself port quickly. I shut my eyes. There was nothing I could do but wait. Seconds later, I opened my eyes, found myself rematerializing and fell about 5 feet from the floor in the main hanger...where practically all the Autobots were at the moment. As I fell, there was a Thump and I swore I heard a pen drop.

"Damn it!" I cursed quietly. I really didn't want anyone seeing me right now. No one was supposed to know about my third power. So why on God's green earth did I port in front of the Autobots of all people?! I guess I cursed loud enough because a red and yellow colored robot, a red and blue one and the other 3 robots had turned toward me with their faces in shock and the yellow and red robot went bonkers.

"Emily? How did you...But you were in...?" he said bewildered. I recognized the voice. It was Ratchet's, the one from the hospital.  
I looked up at him nervously and said:

"You weren't supposed to see that."

"How in Primus' name was I NOT supposed to see that?! You were supposed to be in the med bay recovering and you...you... For a human being, what you just did..." he blew up in insanity. Then, the red and blue robot stopped him and spoke up calmly. It was Optimus. His calm demeanor was unmistakable.

"Emily, it seems like we have much to discuss." He lowered his hand for me to climb onto and with the others following us; I was suddenly overcome with nervousness and guilt. This was going to be a long talk.

Playlist  
Hello by Adele


	4. Secrets

There was silence as we entered the conference room at the NEST base. With a table and chairs at the center, it looked as though I was sent the principal's office and I was the student. I started to become very uncomfortable at the lack of talking. Questions reeled through my mind. What would they say? Do they know what's going on? What will happen to me?  
It wasn't long before Ratchet turned to me, face in shock and confusion.   
"Would you care to elaborate what just happened?"

No not really.

"Uh I ported?" It sounded more like a question than a definite answer, which worried the medic even more.

"Was this the third talent you told us about earlier?" Optimus asked. He wasn't mad. The tone in his voice sounded...intrigued.

"Um...yeah" I practically whispered. I was really sweating now. I didn't like talking about it in front of a lot of people. I stared at the floor in guilt and shame. 

"You have no need to be afraid, Emily. We merely want to understand your story." The Prime assured me. At his words, I slightly relaxed but was still nervous about what everyone else would think once I told them about myself, about my parents' car accident, and my powers. 

I was 10 when I found out my powers. It was scary. I had accidentally ported for the first time from my room to the living room. I even more shocked to see that my parents weren't as surprised as I was when they found out. It suddenly clicked that they knew what was going on with me. Instead, they embraced it. But something wasn't right.  
Some time after, I was in my room trying to sleep when I heard my parents having a deep conversation about me.

"We can't protect her, Robert. They will come after her if they find out."

"I know. I know. But who will? Sending her to them isn't the answer. They will hurt her!"

"Then what do we do?"

"I don't know. She doesn't know about the others yet. I don't want her to expose her to them yet. She's just a child!"

"Honey, keep your voice down. Emily is sleeping. We'll talk about this tomorrow when she's at music class."  
And with that, I stopped listening. I was confused and frustrated. What were they keeping from me? Who were they? Did this have to do with my powers? Was I in danger? That night, I didn't sleep.

I then told the Autobots about my parents' car accident, something I really didn't want to relay. Finally, I waited for a response from anyone.  
"I am deeply sorry for your parents' loss, Emily." Optimus spoke up.  
I gave him a small smile.

"Thank you." Was all I managed to say.

Out of nowhere, Ratchet's question through me off guard:  
"What were your parents' names?"

"Robert and Lilith Whitefield. Why?" I asked.  
Ratchet was quiet and didn't immediately respond. Instead, his eyes or whatever widened slightly in realization.

"Say what you need to say." John Mayer suddenly blared. I looked like a deer in headlights as I looked at the bumblebee-colored Autobot. He looked from Ratchet in anxiousness and then to me with wonder. 

"You'd better tell her." The black truck bot grumpily said. 

"Tell me what?" I was now beginning to get angry. Why was everyone keeping secrets from me? Why?!  
I looked to Optimus for answers. He sighed in sorrow.

"Your parents were scientists working with us." 

Silence.

"Wait...What?!"

"Your mother and father worked as medical scientists with NEST. They were very close to all of us." Ratchet clarified. His face was filled with guilt and sorrow. 

"My parents knew about you?" I asked in exasperation.

"They did not want to endanger you if you knew of our existence." Optimus said. But they were my parents! I was too confused! So the Autobots were the ones they wanted me to go with? Who or what were Mom and Dad protecting me from? 

"You ok lil lady?" A Cajun voice snapped me out of my thoughts. It was the shortest of the five Autobots that asked. 

"I'm just so confused. It's overwhelming. Who were Mom and Dad protecting me from?" 

"Ah think ya need ta ask Prime about that. But righ' now, Ah think it's best ya not worry about that now. Da name's Jazz by the way." He said with a small smile. He reached his clawing hand out. I guess for me to shake it, so I did. Jazz seemed to have this feeling of comfort, protection around him.

"Thanks, Jazz." 

"No problem. If ya eva' need anything, you can always come talk ta me. Ya dig?" 

"Alright I will thanks."   
Afterwards, the small meeting dispersed and I finally found out the other two bots' names. The black grumpy truck was Ironhide. He was the weapons specialist. And the black and yellow one was Bumblebee, who was a scout. But his childlike personality was very adorable! He was so amused with me that he would whirl and chirp constantly. That night, Lennox was able to arrange a room for me to sleep in for the time being. I didn't have anything though except my backpack and instrument. That night, it felt as though I had relived the night my parents were talking. I didn't sleep.  
Jazz was a great friend to be around. I thought. But what I didn't know was that Jazz neglected to tell me something. He had a secret that Mom and Dad told him to do. And I didn't know it. Not yet anyway.

Playlist  
Say by John Mayer   
Secrets by One Republic


	5. A Matter of Trust

I slept well that night, despite everything that went on. It was now morning. I glanced at the illuminated clock by my bedside. 6:00 am. I was so accustomed to getting up early in order to perform in the city. Shaking my head at the thought, I dressed and got ready to meet Lennox for the day's tentative. Suddenly, I remembered: I had no idea how to walk with an artificial limb. Granted, I did blindly run on it the other day. But in my defense, my brain and limbs are two separate beings. They each have their own mind. So, I sat there unsure of what to do. My wheelchair from the hospital wasn't in my room.

Crap.

Ok, Emily. It's easy. Just put one foot in front of the other.  
I sat at the edge of the bed and swung my feet to touch the ground. My left leg made a click sound as it tapped the concrete floor. I pushed myself off the bed and wobbled, frantically swinging my arms to balance myself. My heart and head pounded furiously against my skull and ribs. Finally, I managed to regain my balance and cautiously took one small step forward. Instantaneously, pain shot up my leg as I brought it down to rest on the floor. 

"Ow ow ow!" I hissed while hopping and then sunk to the floor. Someone must have heard me because seconds later, there was a knock at my door.   
Must be Lennox or Ratchet.  
But to my surprise, it was neither . The door opened to reveal a dark-skinned man with dark colored hair and bright blue eyes. He wore a white sweat pants and a matching jacket. 

"Good mornin' sleepin' beauty!" He said.  
Wait what? Who is this? He sounds so much like...wait...

"Jazz?" I asked hesitantly.

"'Da one an' only!" was the cheeky answer.   
Oh, so this was his..what was it? A holoform? 

"What are ya doin' outta bed this early, lil lady?" 

"Oh I, um, wanted to meet with Lennox this morning. But I didn't get very far." It came out more as a hesitant answer than what I wanted. Jazz nodded in understanding and looked around, noting the lack of my wheelchair.

"Ah take it dat ya havin' trouble?" He asked. I nodded meekly. I didn't want to show that I was this helpless girl who couldn't walk and was without a family. Compared to the Autobots, I was this little kid was lost and constantly getting in the way. Jazz must have read my expression because the next thing I knew, I was being supported with his arm wrapped around my shoulders and waist. He was acting as my crutch. 

"Thanks." I said.

"No problem, lil' lady. So how are ya feelin'? Ah dig that since last night, ya've been through a lot."

"Oh, um I'm not really fine. A lot has happened. I really don't know what to do, where to go. It's kind of like I'm stuck in-between." I stared ahead, trailing off deep in thought. Jazz frowned in response and silence followed as we made our way from my room, down the hall and to the mess hall. Once we got there, it was noisy with people everywhere. I tried looking for Lennox, but I didn't see him. Sighing in defeat, I limped (with the help of Jazz) to a nearby empty table and sat down. Jazz sat down and joined me. I smelled the variety of foods being eaten and wrinkled my nose. Jazz laughed at my expression.

"Smell somethin' ya like?" He playfully asked, nudging me.  
I glared at him and replied:

"For your information I am normally not hungry in the mornings."  
He quirked an eyebrow.

"An' why is dat?" 

"Because I'm not." Was my response. I really didn't want to get into it with him, especially since I didn't know him well enough to let him in. Frankly, I didn't exactly trust anyone fully but Lennox. Anyways, Jazz suddenly got up and left. I sat there alone, wondering what I did or said wrong to cause him to leave.  
Did I offend him? I thought. I did, didn't I? Great. Nice going, Emily. The one person who offers you help, you go and ruin everything.  
I stared at the empty seat in front of me. It seemed like half an hour before movement to my right caught my attention. Two men with identical facial features and the same height came over to my table. One wore a yellow jacket with matching pants and the other sported red jacket and pants. They both had the same striking blue eyes as Jazz. I remained quiet as they both nonchalantly sat down across the table. 

"So you're the little femme that everyone's been talking about." The one in red said.   
Femme? What does that mean?

"Why? What makes you so special?" The yellow one asked. His stare seemed to look into my soul. It was creepy. I didn't say anything in response. I didn't know nor feel like talking to this guys, so I gave them the silent treatment. 

"Cat got your tongue?"

Silence.

"My brother asked you a question."

More silence. 

"Come on, Sunny. She isn't going to talk. She's just being a orphan brat."  
Oh no. Did he just..?   
My body shook in anger at the guy's remark. I felt myself slowly ghosting in and out. I tried to get the ghosting under control. For those of you who don't know, if I get very emotional, my body (when it ghosts) begins to flicker like a candle. 

"I am not a brat." I seethed out. 

The two guys, who getting up to leave, whipped around and stared. Before the one in yellow was able to say something, I heard rushed footsteps from behind me.

"Emily? Emily!" It was Jazz! So I didn't offend him! He slowly put down whatever he brought with him on the table and came in front of me. He intervened before things got ugly... For the two men. 

"Sides, Sunny, Ah really hope ya weren't terrorizing our newest guest." He said a little menacingly. The two men glared at the saboteur. 

"We were just asking her questions, none of them she answered." The red one said defensively. 

"No asking her questions. Boss bot told everyone to give her space for now. Go bother 'Hide or somethin'."   
And with that, the two left, slinking off to probably cause trouble. Jazz turned back to me and slightly bent down to my eye level. (A/N: I know Jazz is the shortest Autobot, but I wanted his holoform to be a little taller than Emily.) I was still ghosting, trying to calm my anger from Red's little comment.

"Hey. Emily, look at me. Calm down." His soothing words reassured me to stop flickering. I looked really distraught as I slowly sat back down. Jazz, still bent, cautiously asked:

"What did he say to ya?"  
I shook my head, not wanting to answer. 

"Oh come on. Ya can tell the Jazz man anythin'." 

"He called me an orphan brat." I whispered. Jazz's face grew concerned as he thought for a moment. 

"Ya know that's not true. Even tho' we just met, ah can already tell you're an amazing kid. Don't listen to anything that Sunny an' Sides tell ya. Dey are the trouble makers around base."   
I slowly nodded. But the thought still lingered in the back of my mind: I was an orphan that was a brat to be pulled into this mess. But I didn't want Jazz to know that. Seeing that I was okay, he sat back down and slid the tray of food that he had brought over when he first came back. I looked down at it and then back at Jazz.

"Thanks anyway, but I'm not hungry." 

"Ya need to eat. Ya need your strength." Was his simply reply. I returned my glance to my tray and hesitantly picked at the food. Just as I was about to eat, a question suddenly popped up.

"You didn't poison this, right?"  
All I got in return was a chuckle and a:

"Just eat your Rice Krispies."   
I smiled and ate my breakfast as Billy Joel's Matter of Trust played through my head.  
I've lived long enough to have learned,  
The closer you get to the fire, the more you get burned.  
But that won't happen to us,  
Because it's always been a matter of trust.

Playlist  
Matter of Trust by Billy Joel


	6. Already There

After Emily ate most of her breakfast, she waited with Jazz to meet with Lennox, Ironhide and Optimus. For what exactly, her mind drew a blank.  
Emily's POV  
Once I finished eating, Jazz and I waited for Lennox, Ironhide and Optimus. Within a few minutes, I heard footsteps. I thought it was them, but as I turned my head to see, I was wrong. A very angry voice echoed through the mess hall.

"Why is my patient not in either the med bay or her room?" The voice belonged to a man with graying hair and blue eyes. His clothes gave away who he was and I recognized the voice. Ratchet.

Oh crap. I thought. I'm in trouble. I sunk down in my seat as I ghosted out in nervousness. Jazz noticed my anxiety and said:

"It's ah'right, Em. Old Hatchet ain't gonna hurt ya."  
Hatchet? Oh sure. How reassuring.

"Thanks Jazz, because of the fact that his nickname is Hatchet makes me feel so much better." I hissed at him. Jazz chuckled as he shook his head. Then, he waved Ratchet over to us. What was he doing?! Did he want me getting maimed?! Ratchet came over to us and he was red in the face with anger. He turned to Jazz.  
"Jazz," he started before he was interrupted by said 'bot.

"Chill out, Hatchet. She was hungry so Ah helped her out by takin' her to get somethin' to eat. Lil' lady's fine." He assured the CMO with a calm demeanor and a smile.

"Alright. Now where is she?" He asked through his teeth. I hesitantly uncloaked and raised my hand.

"Here." I said quietly. I honestly didn't know what his reaction would be so I sat there quietly and waited. Ratchet nodded, pleased to know that I was alright at the moment and knelt down to my level. He stared at me for a second.

"Please, next time check in with me before you go wandering with somebody. I don't want you getting hurt." Ratchet glared at Jazz as he said this, who raised his hands up in surrender. I nodded, saying I would in the future. The last thing I needed was a rampaging CMO on me.

"How are you feeling this morning? Does your leg have any pain?" Ratchet asked.

"Yeah. It hurt like heck this morning. I couldn't walk on it and the wheelchair wasn't in my room so I asked Jazz to help me." I told him. Ratchet hummed in response and started to inspect the prosthetic. After a few minutes, he stood up and explained to me that I should try to walk to get used to it. I shook my head no.

"I don't think that's a good idea." I said.

"An' why is dat?" Jazz asked. I blew my bangs out of my face and said

"Because I'll fall flat on my face."

"No ya won't Ratchet and Ah will be here."  
I looked to Ratchet, who nodded and then Jazz. He ushered me to try. I looked at the distance to Ratchet and inhaled. I slowly stood up and started to walk. It was painful at first but eventually went away. It was weird walking on a metal limb. It felt heavy so I had to drag it a bit on the floor. Before I knew it, I made it to Ratchet and I didn't stumble or fall once.

"Good. It looks like you are able to walk. But, if you have any pain or trouble, see me." He instructed. And with that, he left, giving Jazz a I'm-watching-you look. That left Jazz and me to find Lennox and we made our way to one of the hangers. As we entered the hanger, I saw Optimus, Lennox and Ironhide waiting for us. I also noticed Jazz's alt mode was there. His holoform fizzled out and he transformed. I was still getting used to the fact of them transforming. I limped over to the group.

"Um, hi."

"Good morning, Emily. I trust you recharged well." Optimus greeted. He smiled as he saw me.

"Yeah. Had some trouble this morning but I'm all good." I replied.

"We wanted to talk to you about today's itinerary." Lennox spoke up.

"Okay, what's up?" I asked.

"There has been some Decepticon activity in New Jersey, specifically where you lived. We also need to find some files that your parents had on a project they were working on. I thought it would be best for you to come along to help." Lennox explained. I stood there, staring at him blankly. He wants me to go back to where the Decepticons are lurking around my house? And what about these files my mom and dad had? Are they actually there? They think I would know about them? I sucked in some air and let it out slowly. What should I do? Dare I go back memory lane? After a few minutes of deliberation, I made my decision.  
"I'll help."

"Alright. Jazz, Ironhide and Optimus will be coming with us. Epps will be coming too. We leave in 15 minutes." Lennox said. I glanced up at Jazz, who had been quiet for a while. It was strange for him to be so quiet. He seemed to be the chatty and perky type. Something was up.

"You okay? You're quiet." I asked with concern. He waved me off as he assured me:

"Yeah, Ah'm ah'right." I quirked my eyebrow at his response. I could tell he was lying but I chose not to push anymore. I then realized I was still in my pajamas. I told Jazz I would be back in a jiffy to change. He let me go and I sped walked back to my room and quickly changed. Within 5 minutes, I was back in the hanger. Lennox and Epps went with Ironhide, which left me to choose to go with Optimus or Jazz. I chose Optimus, much to Jazz's exasperation.  
"Ah thought ya liked me!" he playfully shouted.

"I do! But I haven't had the chance to talk with Optimus, especially since you've been up my butt with me eating breakfast this morning!" I shouted at him as I made my over to the Peterbuilt truck.

"Do you mind if I ride with you?" I didn't want to seem like I was throwing myself at him.

"Not at all, young one." He assured me. The passenger door popped open and I got in. The truck roared to life as the lights on the dash turned on. My seatbelt wrapped around me protectively. Optimus's holoform appeared and we started on our way to New Jersey. Back home.  
"Optimus?"

"Yes?"

"What was it like working with my parents?" Honestly, that question just sort of popped out. I didn't think before I did.  
It was silent for a moment as Optimus seemed lost in thought before he replied.  
"They were very kind and talented people to know. They spoke highly of you. They would always provide help to us whenever we needed it." Optimus expressed. I smiled at the thought of them. I missed them so much. My heart ached at the loss but I had to be strong, for them.

"Did they love me? Even with my powers?" I whispered. I didn't really expect an answer, let alone for Optimus to momentarily stop the truck. He turned to me and put his hands on my shoulders as he stared at me.  
"Emily, you should never think like that. Your parents loved you no matter what. They still saw their daughter. You were still their loving daughter. Always believe that they will always love you."  
My eyes started to water with the amount of emotion I had in me. I felt arms wrap around me in a hug and I hugged back. Optimus released his arms and we started to move again.

"Thank you, Optimus." I said.

"You are welcome, young one. Get some sleep. I will wake you when we have arrived."  
I nodded and turned to look out the window. It was beginning to get dark and I stared at the stars, hoping that my parents were watching over me. My eyes began to droop as sleep overcame me. I fell asleep to a song on the radio.  
I'm already there  
Take a look around  
I'm the sunshine in your hair  
I'm the shadow on the ground  
I'm the whisper in the wind  
I'm your imaginary friend  
And I know I'm in your prayers  
Oh I'm already there

Playlist  
Already There by Lonestar


	7. Apologize

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily goes back to retrieve the file and learns a shocking secret.

My eyes slowly opened and it took me a minute to realize where I was. Optimus had stopped in front of a small but dainty house. The windows were relatively new and white. The front door was blue with a bright gold door knob. It was a single story house and a somewhat small front yard, but it was home. 

"Emily, we are here." Optimus said. I sat up and blinked a few times. 

"Alright I'm up." I muttered. I had my hand on the door and was just about to open it when it locked. I turned my head back to the empty driver's seat next to me with confusion. 

"It is not safe yet. As we mentioned before, there have been Decepticon sightings in the area."  
Ok. But seriously? I understood that their safety and mine were at risk but still. 

"Ok but are there any around right now?" I asked.  
There was a moment of silence and before he can answer. Suddenly, a new voice broke the air.

"Not for a few miles, kid." Came a gruff voice.

"What the hell?!" I practically shouted and jumped in my seat. I didn't expect Ironhide to talk through Optimus, let alone be hearing our conversation. But that probably meant he, Lennox and Epps were around.

"Ok! But you please give a little warning or do it nonchalantly before you com Optimus or something next time?"

"Can't make any promises, kid." Came the sassy reply. I shook my head at the answer.

"Alright, can I go and look now?" I asked Optimus. It was like asking a parent of they could go on a ride one more time. 

"Yes you can go." And with that, the door unlocked. I got out and stopped. Our house was the kind of house that had no neighbors. It was surrounded by a little wooded area on one side and a field on the other. Hearing the shifting of metal made me turn around. Optimus, Ironhide and Jazz, who had still been silent the whole ride, changed forms. Lennox and Epps got out and came over to where I was. I looked back to the house and started to walk to the door. Once I went up to it, I realized I left my key back at base.   
Emily, you can port inside. My mind practically told me off.  
I ported into the house and in the front hallway. I heard a voice from the other side of the door.

"Damn I forgot she can do that."  
I rolled my eyes as I heard the familiar voice of Lennox and Epps. I opened the door to let them in. 

"Alright, the files your parents had kept them here. So let's split up and each take a room. We search everything. If you find anything, yell." Lennox instructed. I nodded and went into the one place I would put files I thought no one should have or see: the study. Epps took the library/den area and Lennox went to the bedrooms. Ever since I ported inside the house, memories started to resurface. A few tears managed to escape. Once I got to the study, I began to search through the drawers of my dad’s desk. 

Nothing.

Then behind the drawers.

Nothing.

Five minutes passed before I almost threw up my hands in exasperation and defeat. I started to get up to look in another room and as I did, I noticed a sound below my feet. It sounded as though one or two of the floorboards had something beneath it. I dropped down onto my hands and get and started to tear up the floor. Finally, there it was.

The file.

I quickly picked it up and shouted:

"I found it!" Footsteps came running and in came in the two men. On the front of the folder had the name Project Anastasia. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the file name. Anastasia was my middle name. That would mean my parents had a file on me, a file that NEST was interested in. I opened the file and there was a small pile of papers inside. The first paper was a letter addressed to me from mom and dad:  
Our dearest Emily,  
If you are reading this letter, then you know that something has happened to us. You have grown so much and we hope that you will understand what we are about to tell you: We were a part of NEST, an organization that works alongside the Autobots. Our job was to build weapons and technology to help the Autobots. But something happened to you when you were young. When you were 8, you came with us to work and you were going meet the Autobots. We found that you had cut yourself when you were playing. It wasn’t until we realized that your blood had turned blue. You came in contact with the Allspark. You got very sick and Ratchet tried to make you better and you did. We thought it was over until you had teleported one night. You had discovered your powers because of your contact with the Allspark. We were worried that you would be experimented on or discovered by the Decepticons. Because of this, we asked the Autobots to watch over you secretly to make sure you were safe. Jazz volunteered to become your guardian. Emily, you must understand that we did this to keep you safe. You know that we will always love you no matter what. We want you to trust the Autobots, especially Jazz. You are capable of so many things, some of which you need to find out yourself. Know that we love you and we are always in your heart no matter what.  
Love,  
Mom and Dad  
By the time I was done reading the letter, I was crying. I dropped the letter, my body shaking. Thoughts raced through my mind. Jazz was my guardian? My parents kept my powers a secret? But I think the one thing that stood out was the fact that if Jazz was my guardian, then where was he when my parents were killed?  
Jazz’s POV  
It had been 10 minutes since Lennox, Epps and Emily entered the house. Jazz had been silent the entire time. He knew what was in the file and what it said. Ever since the trip to here, he had felt extremely guilty and even more so because he didn’t tell Emily the truth. Jazz knew how Emily would react. But his spark felt like it had been stabbed. Seconds later, he saw Emily porting back outside with Lennox and Epps close behind.   
Emily’s POV  
I angrily ported outside with file in hand to where Jazz was. 

“Why? Why? Didn’t you say anything?” I shouted at him. Jazz didn’t reply.

“Where were you when my parents died?” At that, he slowly transformed and knelt down on one knee.

“Em, Ah didn’t know…”

“Didn’t know what? That we crashed into a police cruiser and into a pole?! That the cruiser drove away like it was nothing?!”

That sentence hit a nerve because Jazz dropped his head. 

“Ah didn’t know that it was Barricade.” He said softly. My eyes widened at what Jazz just said. 

“You knew it was a Decepticon and you didn’t do anything?” I whispered. 

“Ah was under orders not to engage and not be seen.” Jazz told me. My anger only blew its top.

“SCREW YOUR ORDERS! YOU RISK YOUR OWN EXISTANCE RATHER SAVE MY PARENTS!” I nearly screamed. Optimus stepped in and tried explaining.

“Emily, if Jazz had attacked, then you would not have safe.” I whipped my head to face Optimus.

“I don’t care about my safety! He was assigned as my guardian! Wasn’t my parents’ safety also important? You gave him the order and because of that, they’re gone!” I accused him, my eyes wet from tears. I threw the file on the ground. I could care less about trust and finding out what else was in the file. I couldn’t trust anyone at the moment. All the lies and secrets and my parents wanted me to trust the Autobots? I wanted to get away from here. So, I ported. 

Playlist   
Apologize by One Republic


	8. Woah Get Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily ports to Ringwood Forest, only to find out she's not alone.

I found myself in the middle of Ringwood State Forest. I immediately sat down on the ground and shrieked in anger.   
Jazz kept my parents’ killer identity a secret.  
Optimus had ordered him not to intervene.  
My parents decided to neglect to tell me that my powers were because of this Allspark. And on top of that, they had expected me to trust the Autobots. Seriously? Heck, I probably couldn’t even trust Lennox or Epps! Was there anyone I could trust? A tear let itself fall. I quickly stood up and began to throw vegetation and rocks. I didn’t really know what came over me but I just went berserk. After several minutes, my body was drained of energy. Slumping to the forest floor, I had flashback to the significance of where I was. My parents and I would go camping every summer to Ringwood. There was this same spot where we would camp and have a great view of the sunrise and sunset. My eyes slid closed as the memories continued to reel like a black and white movie.  
3rd POV  
Everyone took a double take on what just happened. One moment, Emily was yelling at Jazz and Optimus and the next, she teleported. Where? No one actually knew where. There was a moment of silence between human and Autobot before Optimus spoke up.  
“Ironhide, I want you to return to base with Lennox and Epps.” The weapons specialist nodded in understanding and transformed, opening the doors for the two men to get in. Lennox picked up the scattered papers of the file Emily threw and returned to Ironhide. Seconds later, only Jazz and Optimus remained. 

“Ah should’ve told her.” Jazz said. His spark nearly split in two when he saw her face after she found out. 

“You have done nothing wrong, Jazz. I should be the one to blame.” Optimus countered. Emily’s words stung both bots. 

SCREW YOUR ORDERS! YOU RISK YOUR OWN EXISTANCE RATHER THAN SAVE MY PARENTS!

Wasn’t my parents’ safety also important?

“Optimus, what do we do?” the saboteur was at a loss. He needed to find Emily. Soon.   
Emily’s POV  
A rustle of leaves jolted me awake. My face broke out in sweat from the heat and anxiety. But when I looked around, there was nothing. Only the birds and the gusting of the wind were present. I relaxed, reassuring myself it was nothing, until a branch snapped. It was then that I jumped to my feet and got into a defensive stance. 

“Who’s there?” I asked to the air. No answer. 

You are not alone. A voice in my head spoke clearly but seemed strange.

Ok, talk about creepy. As soon as that voice had spoken, the hair on my neck and stood on end. I got this feeling like I was being watched. I felt as though eyes were watching my every move. 

“Hello?” I said. Part of me believed that something or someone was here in the forest and the other half screamed at me to not to find out who or what. Suddenly, a sound that was similar to an explosion made me instinctively throw up a force field. I had tightly shut my eyes as I brought up my hands to shield myself. A tree nearby had fallen down. I opened them to see that the tree was almost hidden underneath the overgrowing green bushes and grass. I hesitantly moved toward the fallen tree and got closer. As I did, the hair on me stood on end again and I heard another sound.  
The clicking and whirring of machinery. I had thought one of the Autobots had followed me so I ported over to where the sound was coming from and I panicked when I found out the source.   
I had teleported in front of a police cruiser. What was a police cruiser doing in the middle of the forest? But this one had a familiar color scheme. It wasn’t until the cruiser transformed that I really started to freak out. Metal shifted and I slowly started to back away, my body flickering in visibility. Finally, a Decepticon stood over 16 feet tall, his menacing ruby eyes looking into my soul. It was him. The same one that attacked me twice.   
Crap crap crap crap crap! No no no no no!   
My mind went into overdrive as the Decepticon took an ominous step toward me. Then, he spoke.

“So you’re the fleshing I have the pleasure of offlining. But first you will tell me where it is!”

What? Where what is? I had no idea what he was talking about. I remained silent and cloaked. Barricade’s hand transformed into a gun, a freakin’ gun and shot at a nearby tree to my left. My fear began to rise as I started to flicker, revealing where I was to my death. 

“ANSWER ME, FLESHLING!!!” he roared at me. My brain was frozen and my feet refused to move. My eyes widened in fear and my mouth was slightly opened, trying to tell a lie or something. Finally, my tongue was able to let me speak. But before I could stop myself, the three little words that evidently changed the situation, came out.

“I don’t know.”   
Barricade came at me and I tried to escape by porting but I couldn’t. He grabbed me and I felt myself being picked up. I was in Barricade’s grasp. Barricade’s next threat pushed me over the edge. 

"Give me the truth before I take it from you." 

“I- I d-d-don’t know wh-what you’re talking about.” I whimpered. I was lying again, practically asking for my death wish. My breath suddenly became short and my whole body was shaking. His hand began to slowly enclose me as I felt the lack of oxygen in my body. 

I don’t want to die! Please no! I thought frantically. 

“Barricade, release the girl.” A stern yet calm voice stopped the Decepticon from crushing me to death. I couldn’t tell who spoke but by the situation I was in, I REALLY hoped it was one of the ‘bots. 

“And why would I, Autoscum?” Barricade asked. As he spoke, his grip on me loosened ever so slightly. That allowed air to reach my mouth and my eyes to actually see. I tried to see who the mystery ’bot was and I was able to get a good look. He was also tall, with gray, white and black plating. His doorwings bore the words: Highway Patrol Police. His head had a distinctive chevron just above the eyes, which were blue. There was an Autobot symbol on his chest. The sight of that symbol gave me have hope. 

“Because every outcome that begins with you not doing so, does not end well for you.” The ‘bot replied. He had his weapon trained on Barricade and looked like he was not putting it down. Barricade laughed at his threat.

“You really think that I would let her go? She is needed for Megatron’s plans. A plan in which no Autobot can stop.” The ‘Con boasted. He might as well have shouted to the world this plan that they had. But while I was in Barricade’s grasp, I tried reactivating my powers. Ghosting wasn’t going to help. I could have tried porting but I didn’t want to leave the Autobot who was trying to save me alone with a murderer. So, there was only one option. 

“This is your only warning, Barricade. Let. Her Go.” The Autobot stressed. 

“You Autobots never learn. You would never risk a fleshing’s life to get to me. You won’t do anything.” Barricade scoffed at him. I glared up at him. This ‘Con was a ruthless killer and was going to either kill me, the Autobot or both. Someone had to do something. For the first time since I ported, I spoke up.

“He won’t. But I will.” I then released a force field around me and pushed outwards. This cause Barricade’s hand to open. His grip on me broke and I dropped onto the ground. What happened next seemed like a blur. The Autobot seized the opportunity to charge at Barricade. Before things got heated, my savior turned to me, locking eyes.

“Go. Get to safety. I will come and retrieve you when it’s safe.” He ordered me. I didn’t want to leave him with Barricade, but maybe I didn’t have to. I nodded and mouthed ‘Thank you’ before sprinting off to a nearby edge of part of the forest. I had to help him. I didn’t want him to die because of me. I didn’t even know his name. I needed to find help.   
3rd POV  
Jazz was trying to trace Emily’ bio signature when he was contacted.

*Jazz? Do you read? * 

Evidently, he knew who it was.

*Yeah. Ah read. What’s wrong? *

*I require backup. There is a human youngling in danger and I am busy holding off Barricade. *

Oh Primus. Emily.

*What are ya coordinates? *

*41.09374° N, -74.24268° E *

*A’lright. I am on ma way. *

And with that, the link ended and Jazz turned to the Prime.  
“Ah know where she is. She’s in danger.” Optimus nodded.

“Lead the way, Jazz.” Both ‘bots transformed and sped off towards Ringwood State Forest. 

Emily’s POV   
As soon as I got a distance away from the battle, my phone suddenly rang. Whoever was calling me right now had the worst timing ever imaginable. I took it out and saw the caller ID. It read Blocked ID. Hesitantly, I answered.

“Hello?”

“Emily!” It was Jazz! Wait, how did…Never mind.

“Jazz! Where are you? I need help! Barricade is fighting a giant robot death match with a ‘bot!”

“Em, calm down. Ah am on ma way wit’ Optimus. Righ’ now, get somewhere safe until we get there. Ok?” There was concern in his voice. He was coming. He’ll be here. 

“Okay.” He ended the call and I put the phone back in my pocket. My heart still raged against my ribcage. Even though help was coming, I was still scared. It didn’t end there. I felt a vibration throughout my body as I noticed it was me. The ground was. It grew in intensity and finally subsided. I drew out a shaky breath. Abruptly, an explosion of dirt made me dive for cover. A giant robot scorpion exploded from the ground. 

Holy macaroni. 

It had the same red eyes as Barricade. It was a Decepticon and it was looking right at me. I started to run away from it but I ended up tripping over a branch, leaving the scorpion enough time to catch up with me. I didn’t want to teleport, with risk of getting lost and not having the Autobots find me. The scorpion lunged at me and I rolled to the side to avoid getting hit. Its stinger stabbed at me but I kept dodging. Eventually, I was able to get up and tried to find high ground. My prosthetic felt numb from all the running I had been doing. I didn’t know how much longer it could stand. I was at a disadvantage staying on the ground. Off to my right, there was a rocky hill not too far away. I ported over to it and started climbing the hill. The robot scorpion noticed me gone and saw me on the hill. I was halfway up when the stinger stabbed at the rocks right next to me. I lost my footing and fell back to the ground. My face turned pale at the sight of the deadly scorpion looming above me. It raised its stinger again to strike, only this time, a force field prevented it from striking. Confused and angered, it hit the field again with its claws and stinger. Each blow continued to shake the field and weaken it. I concentrated on keeping the field up.

Do not let go.

Stand your ground.

Help is coming, little one.

The voice from earlier, the one that told me that I wasn’t alone.   
Thump. Thump. The repeated blows to the field started to weaken me. I grunted at the amount of force the Decepticon brought. My legs began to weaken and my vision started to blur. I was close to passing out before the scorpion was thrown to the side by a familiar red and blue color scheme. The force field disappeared and it took me a minute to realize who was there. 

Optimus!

“Lil’ lady!” a Cajun accented voice called to me. I tried turning to the voice but before I could, my eyes rolled to the back of my head and darkness swept over me.   
3rd POV  
Optimus and Jazz managed to reach the forest in a few minutes and by the time they had arrived, they saw there was a fight going on. But it wasn’t who com linked them. It was Scorponok and he was trying to get to Emily, who was struggling to keep her force field up and stay awake. Optimus immediately yelled in anger as he charged at the Decepticon, knocking him well away from the girl. While the Prime was fighting Scorponok, Jazz instantly went for Emily. He saw that she didn’t look well. Her face was pale and there was scratches all over her. Hesitantly, Jazz called out to her to make sure she recognized him.  
“Lil’ lady?” She started to turn but before she came fully face him, her eyes rolled back. She fell to the ground. The saboteur began to panic. He scanned her and found that the energon that she had was very low. Jazz gently picked her up and cradled her close to his chest plates. He needed to get her to Ratchet! 

“Jazz, get Emily and contact Ratchet. Now!” Optimus shouted as he stabbed Scorponok with his energon blade, killing him. Jazz nodded and transformed with Emily in the passenger seat. He contacted Ratchet and informed him of his charge’s condition. He could hear the CMO swear in Cybertronian before he hung up. Jazz sped off to where Ratchet was going to meet him. He quickly glanced down at Emily. She was losing color to her face. His spark hammered against his chest. He failed. He promised to protect her. He promised her parents and he failed them. He failed her. Right now, she needed to be okay. 

*Jazz. Jazz, is the human youngling alright?*

*She isn’t. Ah need ta get her to Ratchet. Are ya ah’lright?*

*Affirmative. However, Barricade retreated before I was able to get more information on his mission. I am on my way back to base.*

*Fine. Jazz out.*

He had to get her to Ratchet. Fast. He stole one more glance at his charge, her breathing repeating in a pattern. Inhale. Hold for five seconds. Exhale. Nothing. Inhale. Hold for five seconds. Exhale. Nothing. This caused Jazz to speed down the road, only one thought on his mind.  
Saving Emily. 

Playlist  
Woah Get Away by Holland Greco


	9. Move Along

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A message from beyond this world is delivered.

Everything seemed to go in slow motion as Jazz sped off from the forest down the road, down the highway and into the distance. Trees, rocks and clouds whizzed by. His spark was pounding against his chassis with fear for his charge.  
Hands are shaking cold  
These hands are meant to hold  
Speak to me

Jazz must have broken the sound barrier by the time he had reached the spot where Ratchet was waiting. 

When all you got to keep is strong  
Move along, move along like I know you do

Jazz screeched to a stop and quickly activated his holoform, picking up the now pale and battered form of Emily from his passenger seat. He placed her inside Ratchet and the CMO’s holoform fizzed to life. Ratchet immediately started to place an IV in her arm and turned to the sabetour.

“She needs a small amount of energon to balance out the affects.” His statement was laced with an order. Jazz didn’t hesitant at all as he knew what was needed from him. Ratchet handed him a needle and Jazz jabbed it into his arm. He quickly withdrew it and thrusted it into Ratchet’s hands. Said ‘bot ejected the energon into the IV slowly. Moments passed. Nothing happened. 

And even when your hope is gone  
Move along, move along just to make it through

Don’ give up on meh now, girly! Come on, sweetspark. Jazz thought.

Move along  
Move along

He didn’t know what he was going to do if she died.

After what seemed like forever, something happened. Emily’s body arched upwards and she was engulfed in a whiteish-blue light. And then suddenly, a voice spoke that came from Emily.

The phoenix shall resurrect what was lost!

And with that, the light resided, leaving the two Autobots shocked and speechless. But a gasping breath pulled their attention. Emily was having trouble breathing and both Autobots rushed over to her. Jazz gently squeezed her hand as she regained a normal breathing pattern and calmed down. The silver saboteur drew a shaky exhale in relief. She was okay. She was going to be fine. The girl that lay in front of him managed to find a place in his spark that made him feel…different than before. He couldn’t place what it was. Anyway, Jazz and Ratchet were still perplexed by the message they received while Emily was unconscious. So, they decided to ask the person that seemed to be behind it all: Emily.

“Emily, are you alright?” Ratchet asked cautiously. She slowly nodded her head. 

“’Mokay.” She uttered out. 

“Judging by what just happened, I would have to disagree, youngling.” He replied with a serious expression. Emily tilted her head in confusion and silently looked to Jazz for an answer. 

“Do ya remember anythin’ since ya teleported?” Jazz asked. 

“I remember up to when the giant scorpion cornered me and you and Optimus came…Optimus! Is he okay?” Her eyes suddenly widened at the thought of the absent Prime. She didn’t want him to have gotten hurt because of her. She hugged her knees in fear for her friend and she started to ghost in and out.

“Em, Boss bot is fine. He killed the ‘con when I brought you to Ratch’.” Jazz gently soothed her by rubbing her arms in attempt to calm her down. 

“Emily, when you were comatose briefly, we heard a message from someone. Does the statement The phoenix shall resurrect what was lost! mean anything to you?”  
She looked at him blankly and then a faint hint of realization dawned on her face.

“The file my parents had that we were looking for is named after me, Anastasia.”

“So?”

“Anastasia means rebirth or resurrection in Russian.” She said. Ratchet’s eyes widened slightly and, all of a sudden, both human and saboteur were ushered out. Emily looked to Jazz worriedly, hoping he would provide some explanation for what was happening. He only shook his helm in silence. The silver Autobot did know what the phrase meant but he didn’t like the outcome of it. Grinding and whirring of gears brought the two’s attention back to Ratchet, who was rambling to himself quietly. Emily bit her lip nervously as Ratchet looked from Jazz to her and then back to Jazz. Impatience overcame and the brunette teen spoke up.

“Is there something I’m missing? Or something you both aren’t telling me?” she glanced at her guardian. Ratchet looked down at the teen and sighed.

“You are connected to the Allspark.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.” Emily huffed as she rolled her eyes in annoyance. The CMO sent her a glare before continuing his explanation.

“Ever since you came into contact with the cube, you have had energon mixed in your blood. The amount of the energon that you have within you is interminable. Emily, you have the power to do the impossible.” 

Emily’s POV  
What did he mean by that? I was still a little fuzzy on the details until something clicked inside my brain. I froze and my eyes widened in realization. Oh god…

“The phoenix shall resurrect…no no no...” I mumbled aloud. I started to limp-pace back and forth, my prosthetic clicking against the paved road as I walked. Jazz seemed to have caught onto what was happening because he started to waved his servos wildly as if he was trying to swat at flies.

“Ratch’, Ah don’ think dats possible.” He said shaking his head in disbelief.

“Then how would you explain what we both witnessed mere minutes ago?” Ratchet retorted with a raised optic ridge. 

“Ah don’ know. A ghost, a hallucination, somethin’. Anything but that!” 

“You and I both know what it was. And believe me, I would rather not believe it but…” the CMO’s sentence trailed off and he glanced my way and his eyes flashed with worry. Ratchet bent down and I found a servo brought over my shaking-of-anxiety body. I didn’t know what to say. But I did have one question.

“How in God’s name am I supposed to bring a freakin’ planet back to life?!” I shouted to no one in particular. This was crazy! It was impossible! How can I do this, especially since I don’t know how to properly use my powers and I was only teenager for god sakes? I started to have a panic attack and my breathing became short. Sweat dripped down my face. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jazz reach his servo towards me and Ratchet say 

“Emily! You need to breathe. Can you do that for me, youngling?” I tried to respond but I couldn’t. So, the medic began to help me breathe normally.

“Inhale slowly. Exhale slowly.” He kept saying and eventually my breaths became normal. Satisfied I was alright, Ratchet and Jazz transformed into their alt modes. Jazz opened his passenger door for me and I stood there confused.

“Well, aren’t ya coming?” Jazz asked. 

“To where?”

“Ta base of course!” We can’t stay here.” I mouthed ‘oh’ while I got in with Jazz. The seatbelt wrapped around me protectively and the three of us made our way back to base. The ride was quiet for the most part, until a police car drove up next to us. I whimpered a little, thinking back to my encounter with Barricade. Those red eyes would haunt me for a long time. The seatbelt around me gently squeezed.

“It’s ahlright, lil’ lady. It’s just Prowler.” He chuckled.  
Wait. That’s the Autobot who saved me from Barricade! I looked out the window and got a good look at him. On his hood was the Autobot insignia. My body relaxed knowing that it wasn’t the Decepticon. Suddenly, a new voice cut through the air that made me jerk in surprise.

*Jazz. *

*Ah thought ya were goin’ back to base. *

There was a brief pause before Prowler’s response.

*I merely wanted to make sure the girl was alright. *  
He was worried about me? I was more worried that he had been injured or killed because of me! I decided to speak up.

“Thank you, Prowler for saving me. I hope you are alright.” Apparently he heard me, because he answered. 

*You are welcome, Emily and my designation is Prowl, not Prowler. * 

So his name is Prowl. But, why did Jazz… oh nickname. I mentally face palmed myself. Jazz’s interior rumbled with laughter after Prowl’s response. Prowl decided to follow us back to base and I can tell you this, the ride back was very interesting. 

Go ahead as you waste your days with thinking  
When you fall, everyone stands

Playlist  
Move Along by All-American Rejects


	10. Can't Stop the Feeling

When we arrived back at the base, I had never felt so safe since my parents' death. I got out of Jazz's passenger side door and waited for him to transform. Once he did, Ratchet and Prowl followed suit. I looked around for the other Autobots and found Bee, and Optimus already waiting for us by the entrance. I walked over to Optimus.

"I want to thank you for saving my life." 

Optimus looked down at me with kindness and nodded as he said

"I saved a child who does not deserve to die. Having lost her carriers, she fought bravely." 

I softly smiled.

"However, she needs training. For I, or the others, may not always be there to help."

Wait what?

And the train of mental happiness and accomplishment just got rammed into a tree. 

I opened my mouth to say something but then closed it in confusion. Didn't he just say that I was able to fight? What does he mean? 

"Um could you run that by me again?" 

"You require training. If a Decepticon or an attacker must attack you, then you must be prepared to fight and defend yourself."

"But I'm able to fend for myself! You saw me hold off that scorpion Decepticon. I can hold my own!"

Ironhide decided to step in and add:

"Yes but barely. From what I have been told, you were about to pass out from your fight against Scorponok if Optimus and Jazz had not interfered."

Did everyone just forget the fact that I had powers that can protect me and I was able to take on Freaky Scorpion dude? I felt useless when I could help anyone but when I could, I get told off.  
I had a look of exasperation and threw up my arms in defeat. I looked to Jazz.

"And I assume you think the same?"

Jazz knelt down and frowned.

"Ah don' want ta see ya get hurt 'cause ya weren' thinkin' or Ah wasn't there. Ya need trainin', for your safety. Ya dig?" He said softly. I didn't want Jazz to be upset if I got hurt because of my own actions so I slowly nodded. Suddenly, I remembered the conversation from earlier.

"Um, Optimus, I almost forgot to tell you something." I said to him. Said 'bot motioned for me to continue. I mentally froze, unable to find words to explain it. I pointed to Ratchet.

"Ratchet, why don't you explain? You know about it more than I do." Ratchet raised an optic ridge at me before turning to Optimus and beginning his explanation.

"While Emily was unconscious, a message was delivered: the Phoenix shall resurrect what was lost."

"My middle name means rebirth in Russian." I elaborated.

"Emily gained her powers from the allspark when she was a youngling." Ratchet further explained. Optimus then asked

"But who delivered the message?"

"Primus." Was he response.  
There was silence before Bumblebee started whirring in confusion and Optimus was taken back with shock. Suddenly, there was a pop and crash. Everyone turned their heads towards the sounds and found Prowl on the floor of the base, unconscious. My reaction to what just happened seemed delayed. I stood there in shock. What happened to Prowl? Was it something we said? I ported over to where he laid and looked for signs of consciousness. There was none. I heard footsteps come up next to me and Ratchet's face came into view. 

"Will he be ok? Is he dead?" I asked urgently. As Ratchet was examining Prowl, he nodded his helm.

"He'll be alright. His CPU just glitched."  
Ha! As if I knew what he was talking about! 

"His what just what?" I asked completely confused. Ratchet sighed in slight annoyance.

"His logic processor in his brain short circuited, more than likely because we discovered Primus delivered the prophecy."

Oh ok. So Prowl was okay. Wait that message was a prophecy? It was predestined that I would bring about the resurrection of Cybertron? Oh boy was my head aching from all of this info. Optimus spoke up and looked at me.

"I would like you to start training. Ironhide and William Lennox will train you daily. It would be best if you would leave Ratchet to tend to Prowl. In the meantime, I must discuss our situation with the others. Ironhide will meet you in the training room in a few minutes."  
I nodded in understanding. Rubbing my temple in hopes of calming myself, I made my way over to where I thought the training room was. I was stopped by Lennox.

"Emily, where are you going?"

"Uh, the training room?" 

"What happened in the hangar?"

"Prowl glitched." As if that answer explained everything.

"Ok so why are you going to the training room?"  
Was this 20 questions?

"To graffiti it. What do you think, Lennox?" I sarcastically told him, glaring. I started to walk down the hallway where we were standing until Lennox's voice once again said 

"Emily wait!"

"What now?" I muttered aloud and turned back around.  
He smirked and jabbed his thumb in the opposite direction where I was going. 

"The training room's that way."  
My cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment and I slowly skunk passed Will. 

 

"I totally knew that."

 

Time Skip!!!!  
I was able to find the training room and I awkwardly waited for Ironhide. There was a wide area in the middle of the room. It looked like it was a giant wrestling mat, like someone would use for defense martial arts. So, I walked over to the mat and pulled out my music player. I then put on my headphones to cancel out any distractions. I thought I might as well get warmed up while I waited for 'Hide and Lennox. As I slipped on my headphones, played the first song that was on my playlist.

I got this feeling inside my bones  
It goes electric, wavey when I turn it on  
All through my city, all through my home  
We're flying up, no ceiling, when we're in our zone 

As the music softly blared, I began to punch the air and take defensive stances, as if I was fighting someone. My prosthetic leg squeaked at the small amount of stress I was putting on it. The song continued and I got more into the beat and rhythm of it. I started to do a little dancing as I "fought" with my invisible opponent. At one point, I jumped a little and spun around. I landed on the floor evenly to the beat of the verse that was playing, thankfully. What I didn't expect was for energy from my powers to send a soundwave from the floor to the ceiling...  
Shattering every light on the ceiling and causing a mini blackout. (A/N: lol no pun intended!)

Oh snickerdoodle. 

 

What just happened?

Playlist  
Can't Stop The Feeling By Justin Timberlake


	11. Stop and Stare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A plan goes into motion.

3rd POV   
After Optimus sent Emily on her way, he turned to Ratchet, Ironhide and Jazz. Questions regarding the prophecy were stirring in his processor and he didn't like it. He didn't like the fact that a youngling, who had already lost so much could possibly lose her life. Optimus had grown on the girl, he could tell. Jazz, on the other hand, had formed a special bond with Emily. Within short time, they had already grown close, almost inseparable. They shared a love for music, being sassy and rash at times. Ever since Emily's parents appointed him as her guardian, Jazz took his job seriously, but was always fun and caring around Emily.

"Optimus, I would like to discuss Emily's current situation with you." Ratchet's voice broke through the Prime's thoughts. The CMO had finished aiding Prowl, who was sent to the control room, with Jazz in tow. Optimus nodded for him to continue.

"What is it, old friend?"

"Emily is tasked with a great purpose. She seems to think she isn't worthy and not able to do that task. Emily's powers stem from the Allspark and with that amount of power within her, in the end, she may be..."  
Ratchet trailed off. He didn't want to finish the sentence, no one dared to.   
Ironhide, who had been quiet for a while, spoke up.

"She's so fragging stubborn. The kid's got spirit. She won't go down without a fight."

"With you training her, we might even have a mini-Ironhide." Ratchet smirked. The weapons specialist glared at Ratchet and took a menacing step toward him. Optimus sighed in defeat. He can never get those two to stop being at each other's throats.

"Speaking of training, Ironhide, you should go meet with Emily to begin. Lennox will join you momentarily." Optimus mentioned to him. Ironhide grunted and slowly left, but as he did, the bots all heard a 

Whiz!

Pop!

CRASH! 

It had come from the training room. With that, the three ran, their thundering footsteps echoed throughout the base. As they neared to room they noticed it was pitch black. Lennox was by the door and tried turning on the lights but to no avail. So he went in and pulled a flashlight he conveniently had on his belt. Ratchet, Optimus and Ironhide filed into the room after the man and they were careful not to move around so much, as to not hurt Emily, wherever she was. Lennox turned the flashlight on and called out to her.

"Emily? Are you ok?"

"I'm ok!" The voice came from everyone's left and when Lennox swung his flashlight, sure enough, there was Emily. She looked like a deer in the headlights. Relieved to see she was alright, Lennox relaxed. 

"What happened in here? Why are the lights out?" He asked. Emily nervously chuckled. She hung her head and kicked the ground.

"Heh, about that. I honestly have no idea how it happened!" Emily put her hands up in defense. She was afraid of how they would react is she told them.

Emily's POV

"While I was waiting for Ironhide, I decided to warm up before training. I put my headphones on to play some music while I did so. During one of my exercises, I jumped and landed. One minute, I'm just doing stuff and the next, the lights go out.” I paused.  
On the other hand, there was a flow of energy from my feet...  
I sucked in a breath to regain air she used up ranting. I was a little afraid of what was happening to her. Was I physically changing along with my powers? Or was this part of Primus's "plan" for me? Why now and what exactly happened just now? Ratchet was pondering over my little incident and he had a light bulb moment.

"You are a musician, Emily. Correct?" He asked. What? What does that have to do with any of this?

"Yeah, so what?" I responded. I wanted to hear where this was going.

"When you landed, the energon in your body became energized, if you would, and made its way from you and into the floor." He explained. What he said made a little more sense to me but I still didn't understand what caused it.

"Ok but I'm wondering what actually caused it. I mean what caused the energon to get on a sugar high?" I wondered. Optimus seemed to catch on to what Ratchet was trying to tell me and he stepped in to help.

"I believe your passion for music activated your power and used it in another way. What exactly were you doing while this happened?"

"I was listening to music...Oh..." something inside my brain clicked and it made sense to me. I wanted to recreate what happened to show them but obviously with the lights out in the room and Lennox standing there with his flashlight, I needed a better place to do it. Suddenly, I started to port and before I glitched out, I managed to say

"Meet me outside!"

And with that, for the second time, I left Lennox and the Autobots in confusion as to my weird motives.

3rd POV  
Once again, the group was left in confusion. Lennox blinked and shook his head in disbelief. 

“She is a one-of-a-kind kid. What am I going to do with her?”  
He walked over to the exit of the room and turned off his flashlight. The group headed outside and found Emily right by the entrance of the base. She was grinning.

Emily’s POV  
The bots and Lennox arrived and approached me. I pulled my mp3 player once again and chose a song. 

“You might want to step back.”

Pressing play, I waited and started to sing along while I swayed to the beat.

I'm staring down myself, counting up the years  
Steady hands just take the wheel  
Every glance is killing me  
Time to make one last appeal for the life I lead

Suddenly, the same energy from before erupted from my feet and hands this time as I tapped my foot and flicked my hands to the tempo. Shock was plastered on everyone’s faces as the end of the song came.  
Stop and stare  
I think I'm moving but I go nowhere  
Yeah, I know that everyone get scared  
But I've become what I can't be  
Oh, do you see what I see.  
I stopped the song and looked up shyly at them, unsure of what to say. I was still partially in shock on what had happened and seeing it a second time only made my wonder and curiosity grow. Ratchet came over to me and almost immediately started to scan me. A red laser light shown across my body and went from my head to my toes. It felt a little tingly but otherwise, not harmful. He finished and stared at me before speaking.

“Optimus was right.” He stated simply.   
Wow. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Somehow, the Allspark was kind of connected to my music. Since I was a kid, I knew about my powers, but seeing this brought everything to a whole new level. But I still had some questions that need to be answered. In order to find out how I was supposed to do this resurrection “ritual”, I needed to look at mom and dad’s file on me to get them. But where was it? I looked to Lennox.

“Do you grab my parent’s file on me from the house?” He nodded.

“Yeah and if you don’t mind, I need to look through it also. Orders.”   
It was my turn to nod. I understood that Lennox didn’t want to invade in my life but seeing as though he was military and here to help me…I gazed at Optimus, Ironhide and Ratchet. 

“I know I’m supposed to train with ‘Hide but I need to find answers. Why was I chosen? When will the time come for me to, you know, do my thing?”   
Optimus appeared to understand and dipped his helm in consent. 

“I want you to come by the medbay after your training, youngling, for some scans.” Ratchet requested.

“Ok.” I did a 180 and Lennox joined me in returning inside. But before we got 2 feet, I had an idea.

“Lennox, you trust me right?” I asked with a slight smile.

“Yeah. Why?” he asked wearily.

“I wanna try something.” And as I gripped his arm, I willed myself to port the both of us inside the base. I had never ported with someone with me before, so I wanted to test it to see if it would work. I know, really great timing to do that now, but if something happened that I need to port them somewhere safely, I needed to know that I can do it. So I ported Lennox and myself. Just when he realized what I was doing, Lennox was screaming like a girl had just spotted a spider. Seconds later, we were inside, limbs attached and all. I released my hand from Lennox’s arm and smiled up at him. He turned to me and glared.

“Don’t EVER do that to me again!”

“Whatever you say, Lennox. Whatever you say.” After that, we silently made our way to the HQ of the base to view what would be the holy grail to everything that would define the fate of everyone.

Unknown POV  
“The fleshling knows. She is the one. The Autobots do not know what kind of power they possess. They will only use it to bring back Cyberton only to dispose of me.”

“What do you propose we do?”

“Take what should be rightfully ours.”

Playlist  
Stop and Stare by One Republic


	12. Cities In Dust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily learns more about the prophecy. But the Decepticons find out about it also...

Lennox and I walked our way to the control room where we could read the file. Once we entered, there was an explosion of life. People in uniform were bustling and running around. There were various stations with computers with people sitting in front of them. Tables were scattered across the room, some with files and papers, others with weapons. Really not something they should leave lying around. I thought. I saw Jazz and Prowl and I waved. Jazz smiled and waved back. Prowl nodded in greeting. Lennox lead me over to one table with a single file. The same file that I had found earlier in my house.  
Project Anastasia.  
I reached for the file and hesitantly opened it. The first thing I saw was the letter I had read earlier. My jaw clenched and I swallowed air. I looked underneath the letter and saw more papers. Putting aside the letter, I looked at the remaining papers. One had unique drawings of the Allspark with notes under each one. I stopped when I reached a familiar drawing. It was a drawing of these strange symbols and a round glowing, well, I didn’t know what it was actually. The drawing I saw before me looked like something a 4 year-old doodled. I turned to Lennox.

“Lennox? Did my parents ever show you these?” I showed him the pictures. He stared at them for a minute before nodding his head. 

“Yeah, they told me that you drew them one day from a dream. Your folks were worried about you when that happened.” He answered. This got me thinking. I drew those pictures from a dream? What dream did I have? I picked up the pictures and held them up to Lennox.

“Did I draw these before or after I came with my parents to work that day?” I asked.

“Before. What has that got…wait…If you drew these before, then the prophecy that Optimus and Ratchet were talking about…” he trailed off.

“That means it was when I was picked by the big bot upstairs. It was before I touched the cube and got my powers. The prophecy…Do you think the Decepticons know already?” I wondered. Lennox shook his head.

“I hardly think so. We’ve made sure there have been no bugs or breaches in our security.”   
I continued to look through the file. After a few minutes, one of the computers started to go off. It beeped in alarm and a voice from the far side of the room shouted to Lennox.

“Major Lennox sir, we have a several hostiles coming right at us!” Lennox ran over and peered at the screen.

“At the base? Are they ‘Cons?” He asked.

“Yes...” the man didn’t get to finish his sentence as suddenly there was a massive explosion, ripping through the side wall of the room where we were. I screamed. Everything seemed to go in slow motion after that. The explosion took me by surprise so I wasn’t able to throw up a force field. I felt my body being thrown in the air and hitting the ground. My vision became blurred as I could barely see the fire from the explosion and twisted metal everywhere. I couldn’t see Lennox. But I could see a massive figure with no color to his frame step into my line of view. The only color I could see from it was its glowing red eyes. I tried moving to get away but my prosthetic was caught in between a table. My head was painfully pounding and my hearing was muffled. It took me a few seconds to realize that the figure in front of me was a Decepticon. Even though I couldn’t hear myself, I called my guardian’s name. Was he okay? What about Prowl? I heard muffled voices. Something about the Allspark and Cybertron? My brain wasn’t thinking straight. I lost consciousness and blacked out.

3rd POV  
The Decepticons had initiate a surprise attack on the base and they left a trail of damage. A mere 10 minutes beforehand, there was nothing. Emily and Lennox went to where Jazz and Prowl were to review the file while Optimus and the others discussed their next move. The Prime was speaking with Ironhide when they heard an explosion emanating from the control room. They heard a deafening scream. He immediately com’d Jazz as he and the others raced toward the room.  
:: Jazz! Are you alright? What happened? ::

:: Yeah. Ah’m all good. The ‘Cons have decided to pay us a visit. ::

:: Is Emily alright? ::

There was a brief pause before Jazz answered. 

:: Ah don’ know! She was thrown back from da blast. Oh scrap! ::   
Optimus heard gunfire on the other end of the comlink before the connection ended. His spark raged against his chassis at the thought of the Decepticons bombing the base and getting the one thing they most likely came for: Emily. Optimus relayed the information to Ironhide and Ratchet.  
“Those fraggers.” Growled Ironhide and he quickly activated his cannons as they neared the control room. Once they reached it, they were almost immediately taken down by gunfire. Optimus took note of who they were up against. One notable Decepticon was towering over a spot in the room. 

Megatron.

“Ah Prime. Always fighting for the weak. I’m surprised you still walk among these pathetic creatures.” The Decepticon tyrant taunted. He grinned evilly as he stood before them. 

“It is the strength of their sparks and their will power that makes the humans worthy of themselves.” Prime replied. Optimus glanced sideways, something glimmering caught his optic. He saw the still form of Emily. Her face was covered with cuts and scratches. Optimus’s spark almost stopped pulsing at the sight. He performed a quick scan and noticed that she was unconscious, not dead. Megatron saw the Autobot leader’s gaze and spoke.

“Ah, yes. For someone that holds great power, she is not able to control it.” 

“State your business, Megatron.” Optimus ordered firmly. He was in no mood for small talk.

“You and I both know what we want. But we want it for different purposes, Optimus. I need her to get it.” Megatron explained as he took a step toward the fallen girl. Ironhide loaded his cannons and almost charged at the tyrant.

“Don’t you dare touch her.” He snarled and then felt a gun being pointed his head.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Autobot.” A high-pitched, helium-sounding voice spoke behind him. 

“Starscream.” The weapons specialist snarled.   
The jet grinned evilly at the sight of the surrounded Autobots. Barricade had Bumblebee at gunpoint and Soundwave had cornered Jazz and Prowl. The Autobots were stuck in a sticky situation. They couldn’t rescue Emily without being taken down by the Decepticons. But they did not want to do nothing and watch their human friend and only hope for peace get taken by the Cybertron’s most feared tyrant. The Autobots looked to their leader, silently asking him 

“What do we do?” There was nothing they could do. If they tried to stop them, then the Decepticons would kill her. With no other way out, the Prime holstered his weapon silently. At the sight of this, the others sadly followed suit, each knowing that this was the only way. Granted, no one liked the idea but Jazz was the one who despised it the most.  
Megatron slyly smiled and turned to Barricade, who then "gently" picked up the unconscious girl and transformed, leaving his comrades to follow him. Once the Cons had left, Jazz stalked up to Optimus. Jazz’s spark flared with anger and concern. His charge had been in the crosshairs and in danger again. Jazz continued to let this happen. Why did the Whitefield’s believe that he could protect their daughter? He couldn’t save her parents and now, he wasn’t able to save her. 

“Optimus, we gotta get her back.” He stated, face expressionless. But at the moment there was nothing the Prime could do. Optimus shook his helm.

“We do not know where they have taken her, let alone launch a full rescue.” 

“So, we’re just gonna let them kidnap ‘er? Let them hurt ‘er?” Jazz asked with an angered and exasperated look.   
There was silence, as no one dared to answer the question. At that, the silver saboteur picked up a charred piece of metal from the explosion and threw it across the room in anger. He transformed and sped away from the rest of his comrades, leaving them to discuss the fate of their special human friend. No one had dared to follow Jazz. They all felt the same toward what had happened. Their human allies of NEST had already started to recover soldiers that were caught in the explosion. Lennox thankfully had only received some minor injuries. He had been able to get to cover by the time it was over. Others, on the other hand, had not been so lucky. Optimus then look among his team and said

“We will get her back, no matter the cost.” 

“What’s the plan, Optimus?” Ironhide questioned. He was equally angered by the fact that the ‘Cons decided to waltz in and take Emily. They all feared this would happen, but they didn’t expect it to be so soon. The Decepticons knew about her, most likely from Barricade. Now, they wanted Emily for their plan. Whatever it was, it was bound to involve Earth’s destruction. 

“We must find the Decepticon’s base.” 

Playlist  
Cities In Dust by The Everlove


	13. Message in a Bottle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily finds herself in the Decepticon base and tries to escape. Instead, she finds someone from her past.

Darkness surrounded me as I felt myself being lifted and carried. My eyes remained closed, as I couldn’t find the strength to open them. My whole body felt as if an elephant was sitting on it and breathing was shallow and quiet. My brain was trying to register where I was and what was happening.  
Ok, last thing I remember was looking at the file and then the explosion. What happened to Lennox? Is he even alive after that? And where the hell am I? Am I even at the base?  
My mind was reeling with questions I wanted to have answers to. But I had none. I could only lay there in silence and wait. Thundering footsteps told me I was being carried by a Cybertronian, which faction I had no idea. I tried again to open my eyes and with enough effort, I was able to open them. Blurred scenery and figures came into view and heard voices. But the voices seemed muffled, most likely because of the explosion. There was a slight ringing in my ears.  
Where am I?

You are in the Decepticon base, Emily Whitefield. 

I suddenly recognized that voice. It was the same voice from my run-in with Scorponok and Barricade. 

Who are you and how can you here my thoughts? 

I am Primus. Was the short response.

How am I able to talk to you? Is it because of my connection to the Allspark?

Yes. You have been unconscious since the explosion.  
I snorted. Obviously I had been unconscious but that didn’t really help me in this situation.

Sarcasm will get you nowhere, my child. If you wish to find out what is going to happen, I suggest that you listen.  
Primus then went on to explain that I had been kidnapped by the Decepticons for the purpose of the revival of an undead army, which will then take over Earth. Wait, so the Autobots just let me get kidnapped?! What about Jazz? I’m sure he of all the ‘bots would not let that happen to me. I thought. Suddenly, my body was jerked forward and thrown onto something metal. I heard the clanking of my prosthetic hitting against it. Almost immediately, my eyes flew open and my head lurched up.  
“Jeez, if you all wanted me awake, you could’ve just said so.” I muttered as I rubbed my sore head. I looked around and found myself on a metal table and nearby were monitors, almost like a hospital room and I was the patient.  
“Shut up, fleshling.” Was the snippy response that came from Starscream, who stood by the one Decepticon I had heard so much about.

Megatron.

His menacing eyes were the same ruby red color as the others and his hulking figure kind of scared me. His sharp teeth and long claws only added to my fear. He took a step toward me and spoke.  
“Do you know why you are here, human?” I pretended to act stupid.

“Um, no. Why? So you can have the wifi password to the loony bin?” I asked innocently.

“No. You are here because you have something that we want. Something that will turn the tables in our favor.” He said. Megatron looked to a Decepticon I didn’t recognize. He had a single glowing yellow optic and was entirely purple. He began to fiddle with some buttons and switches on a monitor as Megatron continued.

“We will be needing the Allspark.” My eyes widened at this. The Decepticons need the Allspark’s power, which was in me. So, in the end, I would either die or lose my powers. But at this point, the former was most likely the result. And believe me, I did not want that to happen, seeing as though the Decepticons were going to use it to take over my planet. I frantically started to port from the room. As I did, I tried to think of where to go. Megatron reached towards me in a desperate attempt to stop me but I felt my body fizz out of existence briefly before porting away, leaving the Cons in anger of what just happened to their prisoner. 

Back at NEST  
“Damn it!”  
Lennox slammed his fists onto the desk of the monitor in front of him. It had been a few hours since the attack on base and everyone was frantically trying to find answers. Their main priority was finding Emily. The Decepticons had taken her to their base but trying to pinpoint their location was proving more difficult than they originally thought. Lennox ran a hand through his sweaty brown hair. The 17-year-old had saved his life in Mission City and now, he wasn’t able to save her from the Cons. He felt like a failure. But there was still a glint a hope. She could be alive. How in God’s name was he going to find her?  
“William, are you alright?” Optimus’s voice brought him out of his thoughts. Lennox looked up at the Prime and sighed, shaking his head.

“No, I’m not. We haven’t been able to pinpoint their base. It’s been 2 hours, Optimus! There’s no telling if Emily is okay or what they’re doing right now.” Lennox said. 

“Does she have communication device that you can track?” Optimus asked. Lennox shook his head.

“We tried that. It’s turned off.” There was silence between the two. Neither was sure of what to do. As for Jazz, who had been gone for a while, he wasn’t getting anywhere either. 

Back in the Decepticon base  
After I ported away from the Decepticons, I looked around to see where I ended up. It was dark and very quiet. I had a feeling that I wasn’t at the NEST base. 

“Damn it!” I whispered loudly. Of all the times when I needed to be somewhere specific, my porting power decided to go haywire. 

“Attention Decepticons! It seems our human guest as escaped. Check all corridors and rooms! Find her! I want her alive!”  
I gulped nervously. I was still in their base and it looked as though I was stuck here. Teleporting had drained my energy and now I could do nothing to defend myself. Right now, I had to hide and avoid being seen. It would be awhile before the energon in my body would be replenished and I could use my powers. I cautiously checked my surroundings and tried to make my way to a communications room, if the cons even had one, which I assumed they did.  
Where is the communications room? Primus? Please tell me your there! I need your help!  
It is on the third level.

There’s more than one level in this base?! 

Yes. Take a left up here and there will be a set of stairs.

Ok.  
I took a left and came upon the stairs. I made my way up the stairs and stopped.

Where to now?

Turn right.  
I did and I ended up standing in a room that had multiple cells. I realized that this was their brig. 

Why did you take me here? You do realize this is the brig, right?

Yes, I know. But the reason why I brought you here is to free someone.

Who?  
Before Primus could answer me, a voice called out from the dark cell to my left.

“Emily? Emily, is that you?” I froze. I knew that voice. It couldn’t be her though.

“Lacie? Lacie Connors?” I hesitantly asked. I stepped toward the cell that the voice came from and looked in. A girl, about my age, with black short hair and red eyes, bore ripped jeans and a green t-shirt. Her eyes stared at me as they widened and she smiled. 

“Oh my god. Emily. It is you!” she cried. It was Lacie Connors, my best friend since I was little. She had been in my grade in school and in my neighborhood before we moved. I had been in touch with her up until my parents’ death. Since then, I haven’t heard from her. I covered my mouth, my eyes brimming with tears. My best friend had been captured by the cons for years and I had no idea.

“Yeah, it’s me Lacie. What happened to you?” I ran to reach the bars of the cell and grab her hand in comfort.

“The Decepticons kidnapped me a year ago. They thought I was you. But when they realized I wasn’t, they kept me here to try to get me to tell them where you were. Emily, I thought I was going to die. I’m so scared. What is going on?” she told me. She was scared and that was understandable. 

“Lacie, its ok. The Decepticons are the bad guys who are trying to raise the dead of Cybertron and take over Earth. There are good guys from their planet. They’re the Autobots. They are trying to save us. The Cons are after me and me alone.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m connected to the Allspark. It’s something capable of giving life. It’s powerful.” I explained. Suddenly, an alarm broke our conversation. I looked around. There was noise coming from outside. We couldn’t stay here. If someone were to come in here, then we would be screwed. I had to free Lacie and somehow find a way to contact the Autobots. 

Primus, is there a way to open the cells?

There is but its voice activated.  
“Crap!” I seethed. 

Is it possible for me to port in and get her out? 

I can provide you with enough energon to do so.  
I slowly ported into the cell and grabbed Lacie’s arm. She looked at me with shock.  
“How-”  
“I’ll explain later.” I replied and very quickly we ported out of the cell and disappeared from the room, ending up in the communications room. I let go of Lacie and ran over to one of the monitors. Surprisingly, the room was empty. You would think that the cons wouldn’t be so stupid as to leave one of the important rooms unattended. I turned back to Lacie.

“We need to send a message to the Autobots. Do you know how to work this?”

“I can try.” Lacie ran over to me and jumped up onto the massive chair that was seated in front of one of the monitors. She then helped me up and started to press a few buttons frantically. I kept glancing towards the door to make sure no one would walk in on us. 

“Got it!” she said. Lacie brought up a window to send a message. 

Primus, what are the coordinates for NEST base?  
He gave me the numbers and I punched them in. Next thing was actually sending the message. If the cons found out that we sent an SOS to them then they would know that they would be coming. So, I had to send the bots something that they could decipher. An SOS hidden in plain sight. I frantically typed in the message and hit send. We waited. A few seconds later, the notification that it sent was all we needed to know that it sent. Lacie and I looked at each other and squeezed hands. All we had to do now was wait and hope that someone saw our message. But right now, we had to avoid being seen. So, we got rid of the evidence of sending the message and slipped from the room. We were on our own for now.

 

Playlist  
Message In a Bottle by The Police


	14. The Great Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily and Lacie escape the Decepticon base as the Autobots race to decipher Emily's message.

At NEST  
Jazz was fuming. From the moment that the cons attacked up until Optimus had started making preparations to rescue Emily, he was furious. He had been trying to find Emily on his own, since the Prime had told him that it may take a while to find the Decepticons’ base. His spark was almost thrashing against his chassis. He had lost the right to protect his charge and because of that, not once but twice, she had almost her life.  
Why did her parents choose meh? Ah’m not worthy. He thought. His mind wandered back to when he was told he would be her guardian.  
Flashback  
“Hey Jazz! Could we talk to you for a minute?” Robert Whitefield’s voice caught his attention. Jazz was on his way to talk to Optimus about his debriefing as he looked down at Robert and his wife, Lilian. They were smiling as they stared back at him. 

“Sure, is everythin’ ok?” he asked with concern and worry. Lilian laughed, nodding her head.

“Everything is fine. We just want to ask a favor of you.” Lilian assured him. Jazz shifted nervously.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Well, you know about Emily, right?” Robert told him. Jazz nodded, remembering the little girl whom he had seen a picture of from Robert. Her wide brown eyes and brown hair shone in the sun in the photo when it was taken. She wore a sunflower dress and was looking at a butterfly. All in all, she was undeniably adorable. He smiled at the image and his mind was brought back to the present. Robert grinned and said  
“We wanted to ask you if you could be her guardian, in case we aren’t there for her.” He said.  
There was silence before Jazz pointed to himself with a digit hesitantly as he looked at the two humans in shock. Were they joking? Or were they being serious? In answer, the two parents nodded, their smiles growing bigger every minute. Jazz’s spark fluttered in nervousness. Would he be able to do it? Could he protect her? Was he able to look after the child of two of NEST’s well-known allies? His spark and mind both thought the same thing. He answered  
“I’d be honored.”  
Present  
Optimus had been informed by Lennox that they had something. His spark swelled at the news. As he sped to where Lennox was, he was greeted by Epps, Lennox and Prowl.  
“At 1300, we received a message from an unknown ID.” Lennox began as he brought up a message from one of the computer monitors. Once he booted it up, everyone stared at the message.  
I'll send an S.O.S. to the world  
We're building it up  
To break it back down  
Seems I'm not alone in being alone  
Don't delay  
Optimus, seemingly shocked by the message, com-linked Jazz and prayed that he would answer. 

:: Jazz. Report! ::

:: What is it, Optimus? :: 

:: We received a message and I believe you are the only one that can help us understand it.:: 

:: I’m on my way. ::

Decepticon Base-Emily’s POV  
It seemed like hours that we had been hiding away from the Cons. We were constantly avoiding cameras and guards. At times, we had to stop and catch our breath. My prosthetic was rubbing against my thigh vigorously. I couldn’t keep running much longer. Sweat dripped down my face as I tried to breathe normal. Beside me, Lacie did the same. She slid down to the floor and put her head in her hands. There was silence between us for a few minutes before Lacie spoke up.  
“What did you do? Back at my cell?” She lifted her head from her hands and stared at me with confusion, her unnatural red eyes burning into my soul. I tried to swallow the lump that had been in my burning throat from the lack of water.  
“That was me teleporting.” I said simply, not looking at her. Lacie opened her mouth in shock and sputtered  
“What? But how-” I held up a hand to stop her and walked closer to her.

“Look, I know what you saw was crazy and you are probably questioning your sanity right now, but I’ll give you the short, short version, alright?” I explained to her. Lacie, with eyes wide, nodded slowly. I sighed deeply and carefully explained all that had happened up until now. By the time I was finished, I suddenly found myself squished against Lacie. She had embraced me into a hug.  
“Em, I’m so sorry about everything! I always loved your parents and if you ever need anything, you can count on me.” She said sincerely. I smiled. Lacie was the best friend/sister figure I had in my life and she always was there for me, through thick and thin. I was so thankful to have her.  
“Thanks, Lacie. I think right now though, we gotta focus on getting out of here. I would have thought they had gotten our message and understood it.” I mused. All of a sudden, we heard thundering footsteps coming close to us. I grabbed Lacie’s hand and dragged her down the hall we were in, away from the direction of the Cons. This was an extremely inconvenient time for my powers not to work.

Primus, I need some help here.  
To my anger and frustration, there was no response.

Seriously?! Now of all times, you don’t help me out?  
Still nothing. God damn it! So, my powers were still not working and I had no idea when the Autobots were coming, if they actually got our message. 

NEST Base  
Lennox, Epps, Optimus, Jazz and the rest of the Autobots stared at the message on the screen.  
"It's from her. She's sent us this." Lennox was muttering under his breath. So she was alive when she sent it. He thought to himself. 

"If Emily had sent this message, then why would she risk sending us this directly?" Optimus asked out loud. 

"She knew that the cons could see the data history that she sent the SOS out directly to us. She's smart enough to know that she had to send it discreetly." Ratchet explained. Jazz had been strangely quiet since he was beckoned by Optimus. He stood there staring at the message with a look of concentration. 

"So, what exactly does the message mean?" Ironhide asked. To him, it was gibberish. But to Jazz, it meant something.

"Em' used musical lyrics to send it. Da message is in the words. 'I'll send an S.O.S. to the world' is her sendin' a help message. 'We're building it up' means da Cons are lookin' on buildin' somethin'. 'To break it back down'. She's tellin' us that we need to stop it from happenin'. 'Seems I'm not alone in being alone'. She ain't alone?" Jazz trailed off, unable to come to a conclusion on that part. Prowl spoke up and said

"She found another prisoner in their base. The question is who?" Sadly, no one could find an answer to Prowl's question and Epps continued to read the last of the message.

"'JFK blown away. Don't delay.' JFK is President John F. Kennedy. He was killed in 1963 in Dallas, Texas. Could mean that their base is there." Optimus shook his helm in disagreement.

"I believe that is where she wants us to meet her, away from the base itself." 

“Why though? Why not just tell us where she is?” Epps asked him. 

“She may not even know where she is.” Ironhide put in. Even though he had known Emily for a short amount of time, he seemed to respect the teen and her actions. There was silence that followed. They now knew where to find Emily and the mysterious friend she had with her. All they needed to do now was to go and wait. 

Decepticon Base  
Lacie and I stealthily got around the Cons’ base and we found an exit. But there was something in our way.  
A guard. I stopped and shoved Lacie back. She practically gave me her famous death glare and half-whispered/half-shouted  
“What are you doing?”  
I hushed her and peeked around the corner, just enough to see what we were dealing with. The guard had somewhat heavy armor and had some exposed wiring at the neck area. His eyes matched Lacie’s but more so giving off a satanic look. Lacie’s eyes were a result of albinism. Her extremely light-colored skin also showed it. Lacie’s hair was dyed with red streaks because she thought it was cool and I agreed. Anyway, I turned back to face Lacie, who was staring at me intently.  
“Alright. So, one of us needs to distract him and the other needs to open the door.” I explained. Lacie crossed her arms and whispered

“And who is the bait?” I paused. Lacie stood no chance if she was caught but she was known for doing the weirdest things. But I knew that she would never forgive me for having her do this and it was going to scar her for life. All the more reason for us to do this. Snapping back to reality, I smirked at her. Lacie’s eyes widened and she shook her head frantically, knowing full well what was going through my mind. I nodded and she glared at me again.  
“You've got to be kidding me, Em! Why me? Why not you?" she hissed at me. I chuckled at her antics.

“Because, I’m not good at distracting people. You know me. Remember in 9th grade?” I implored. Lacie seemed to finally accept it because she nodded shakily and drew a breath. I hugged her.

“I’ll be right there. Just bring the guard over to you and when I-uh knock him out, run to me ok?” I reassured her. She nodded. On the inside, I was deathly scared. I had no idea how this escape would end up. Would we die or survive? Fear was something that was shown on both of our faces. But we had to do it. Lacie stood up and reluctantly stepped into the hallway.

“Hey! Mark Tilden called. He wants his Robosapien back!” Lacie shouted at the guard, who turned to her and menacingly walked closer to her. As the guard moved towards her, I dashed out and behind him, booking it towards the exit door. Once I reached it, I pressed the button to open it. The door flew open and I whirled around to see Lacie almost getting grabbed. I quickly ran over and made a leap for his neck wiring. The guard thrashed his head left and right, his servos trying to grab me. I held on like a rodeo bull-rider. I slipped my hand into his neck plate and a miniature force field expanded, literally blowing his head sky high. Lacie ran towards the door and was waiting for me. As the guard’s head toppled to the floor, I jumped down. The rest of the him fell to the ground with a loud clang. I didn’t look back as I ran back towards Lacie and grabbed her hand, shutting the door behind me.  
Almost immediately, we were both blinded by the glorious sunlight that radiated down on us. Lacie looked at me with tears in her eyes and squished me into a hug. I embraced her. We did it. We made it. 

Well done, child. Now go. There isn’t much time. Primus’s voice echoed to me. 

I really hope I can teleport now because it’s going to be a long walk to Dallas. I thought.  
Without getting a response, I felt my body quickly porting, fizzing between locations. I rapidly grabbed Lacie and within seconds, we left. 

Playlist  
The Great Escape by Boys Like Girls


	15. Renegade

“AAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” 

SLAM!

“I CANNOT EVEN ENTRUST MY SECOND-IN-COMMAND AND MY SCOUT TO TAKE CARE OF A HUMAN GIRL!!!” Megatron’s voice thundered and almost shook the room. The human had simply slipped from their grasp and no one had the circuitry to be able to reclaim her. On top of that, their other human prisoner had escaped. The Decepticon warlord was seething with pure rage.  
“L-l-lord Megatron, allow me…” Starscream started to say. Megatron swung to face him and grabbed his throat, sending Starscream into the back wall, squirming in his grasp.

“Allow you to what? Retrieve her and fail me yet again, Starscream? Your feeble attempts to do my bidding are dwindling.” Megatron tightened his grip on the jet’s throat. Starscream tried flailing his servos around. 

“N-no!” 

“Then, pray tell, what do you propose I do to fix your mess?! You and Barricade allowed the fleshling to escape! She was able to teleport within this room! Why wasn’t she restrained?!” Megatron threateningly asked. His helm was inches from Starscream and up close, the Decepticon tyrant was frightening, especially up close. Silence filled the room and when no answer was spoken, Megatron grabbed Starscream and slammed him into the ground. As Starscream struggled to get back up, Megatron intimidatingly stepped toward him, fusion cannon charging up. 

“W-w-wait! Lord Megatron! Please! I have a plan to retrieve her for you!” the seeker pleaded to him. At that, Megatron froze for a few seconds and ever so slowly, lowered his cannon. His menacing glare pierced through Starscream’s very spark. Starscream shrunk in his position on the floor as he looked fearfully at the Decepticon leader. 

“The other fleshing prisoner, the one we originally thought was the girl. We implanted a tracking device on her. Surely, wherever she went, the one with the Allspark will be there also!” Starscream proposed. Silence followed and it was deafening. Megatron did not want to waste resources on finding a lost prisoner, but he needed to find the Allspark again in order to have his plan carried out. Here, the tyrant had little to no options. Either he could do nothing or waste precious time thinking about what to do. Megatron retracted his weapon and glanced at his SIC. 

“It seems as though you aren’t entirely useless, Starscream. Find Soundwave and track them down. Report back to me when you have located them immediately.” He hissed angrily. Starscream arose from the ground and bowed.

“Right away, Lord Megatron.” As soon as Starscream left the room, he made his way towards the security room. Once he was earshot away from Megatron, he muttered to himself

“Oh, Megatron. You will soon fully see what I am capable of…”

Emily’s POV

My feet hastily touched the ground as Lacie and I ported to our location. We ended up behind some trees so we didn’t attract attention to ourselves. I poked my head out from behind the tree and looked around. Across the road was the highway and to the left were some business buildings. I sighed in relief. We made it. I had ported us to the location that I sent in my message to the Autobots. 

“Where are we exactly, Em?” Lacie asked me. Confusion was written all over her face as she glanced around. I simply replied

“Dealey Plaza.”  
Her eyes widened at my answer, obviously knowing what state we were in and she said

“We’re in Dallas? Why?” she asked. I slowly answered

“This is the place I encrypted in the message for the Autobots to come and get us.” Lacie gave me a ‘What the hell?’ look. I silently shrugged my shoulders and flipped my hands up, as if to say ‘What?’. I took another look around to check if the coast was clear, and it was. I then sat down, leaning my back against the tree behind me and slowly breathed in and out. Lacie followed suit. We sat there for what seemed like forever hours before Lacie fell asleep. Technically, I didn’t blame her. We were kidnapped and chased by an evil douche-bag of a Decepticon leader. Lacie was not doubt joyful that she was free from them. But I, on the other hand, was afraid and confused.  
I tried to wrap my head around everything that had happened so far. Ever since Mission City, I saved Lennox from the building collapse. Frankly, I don’t know why made that decision. But if I hadn’t, he would have gotten hurt or worse, died. So, once I did, I exposed myself and my powers to people. I then met the Autobots, whom I learned were a part of N.E.S.T. and had worked with my parents. To make matters even more interesting, I found out that Jazz of all people was supposed to be my guardian. Yet he wasn’t there to save my parents.  
He wasn’t there when I needed him. 

What has already happened cannot be undone. It is not his fault.

Primus’ voice made me jerk to attention. Why was he talking to me now?

Is there a reason why you chose me? Why me to do any of this? You could have picked someone else. I thought with a mental glare. I wanted answers and now was a great time to get them.

You have certain traits almost everyone else does not have. 

And what would that be?

Hope. Passion. Divinity.

I snorted.  
Just because I’m hopeful and committed about things doesn’t make me worthy of anything. Heck, you could’ve asked Optimus to resurrect a friggin’ planet! He has enough that…  
Primus was quiet for a moment before he replied.

But he is not you.

I literally threw my hands up in the air in frustration and groaned. Why did Primus have to speak in riddles? Was this some sort of riddle-me-this game to him? How did I have enough hope to become the ‘Chosen One’? What did that even mean? It seemed to me that Primus was really going to tell me anything useful. Maybe he wanted me to find out for myself? I had no clue. I laid there, thinking over what Primus had said. He chose me for a reason. I closed my eyes to try and think.  
Alright, so I touched the Allspark ad got powers. Now, these powers are supposed to help and be able to bring back Cybertron, which I had to do soon. The question was: when? Also, I had to deal with the Decepticons trying to use me for ruling Cybertron and more than likely, Earth too. 

Suddenly, I felt the ground vibrate and the sound of footsteps broke me out of my thoughts. They sounded like they were coming from the road. My mind began to swirl. Was it Lennox and the bots? Or did the ‘Cons find us again? I suddenly became very scared. What if I died at the hands of the Decepticons, just like my parents? I didn’t want to die! Shakily, I gripped the grass by my feet and tried to refrain from breathing too loud. If it was the ‘Cons, then they would already know we were here if they heard us. The footsteps and vibrating stopped and voices came within earshot. 

“Come out, come out wherever you are, fleshy!” an eerie voice split the air. My eyes widened and breathing almost stopped cold. That was obviously not the Autobots. I quickly looked over at Lacie, who was now awake and looking at me with a horrified expression. I managed to bring my finger to my lips and she nodded. 

Oh mama, I'm in fear for my life from the long arm of the law  
Lawman has put an end to my running and I'm so far from my home

“Did you really think you would be able to escape us? We have eyes everywhere. Your little friend has a locating beacon that lead us straight to you.” The creepy voice spoke again. My head snapped to Lacie. Her eyes widened and she looked frantically at herself as she tried to find what the device was. She stopped and her hand hovered over the back of her head. Realization dawned on me. They had implanted a chip in Lacie, in case she would escape and they could get her back. They knew where we were. Did Lacie know about the chip? Could I trust her? I heard footsteps get closer and closer to where we were sitting. It must have seemed like it was a void because the air was deadly silent. I could even hear my heartbeat.

Oh mama, I can hear your crying you're so scared and all alone

Neither one of us breathed. We didn’t move.

Hangman is coming down from the gallows and I don't have very long

“Found you.”

The jig is up the news is out they've finally found me  
The renegade who had it made retrieved for a bounty

I don’t remember who screamed. All I know was that I felt arms wrap around my body and I started thrashing around, my body flickering between visibility. 

Let me go! Let me go! My mind was screaming.

Never more to go astray  
I’m the wanted man

I had never been so terrified in my life. My vision started to blur as I tried to see if Lacie was safe. She looked like she was being taken also. Her captor had familiar red eyes and he was grinning like the Mad Hatter. I could have sworn that as I continued to fight against the arms around my body, someone called my name. I couldn’t tell who it was. Two new figures came into view, one red and blue and the other black. The next thing I knew; I was on the ground. Lacie’s blurred face met mine and it looked like she was trying to talk to me. But I couldn’t make out what she was saying.

“Em…you…going…”

My body tried to stay awake. I didn’t know why the Decepticons released us. Did something or someone intervene? Who was it? I blinked and attempted to see my surroundings. Grunts and the faint sounds of fists flying told me that whoever came was fighting off the ‘Cons’ holoforms. How did I know that it was the Decepticons’ holoforms? Their eyes. I’m not that oblivious. No one I knew or had seen except Lacie had red eyes. My vision started to return to normal and I tried to sit up. As I did, a wave of dizziness hit me. I groaned.

“You shouldn’t move.” Lacie told me. I ignored her and strained to maneuvered myself to see who was fighting off the ‘Cons. Lacie helped me and we peered out to see. 

"Who are they?" I rasped out, my voice wonky from not using it. 

"I don't know." 

We ducked back behind the tree and waited for what seemed like forever. The ground started to shake again and the sound of jet engines and tires screeching told us that the fight was over. But I don't dare look to see who remained behind. If the Decepticons won, then we were screwed.  
Silence followed as we waited some more and soon, footsteps made their way towards us. With each step, the fear rose within me. Lacie was scared too. I didn't want to lose her a second time! All of a sudden, a clear face met mine. I shrieked, scared that it was the same ‘Cons who attacked us and backed away. Lacie gripped my arm in fear.

"Em! Em, it's meh. It's Jazz!" I immediately stopped. I recognized that accent anywhere. I stared at the man. His dark skin and familiar silver jacket and white pants gave him away. His eyes stared back at me with worry. My eyes started to water and I slowly got up, trying to stand. Once I stood, I wobbled my way into Jazz's arms, my prosthetic leg flaring in pain from its overuse. But I ignored it.  
He's here. I'm ok. Lacie is ok. I thought over and over.

"Ah thought Ah lost you." Jazz murmured to me.  
I started to cry quietly in his arms, emotions from the past day resurfacing. I was exhausted and overwhelmed. 

"It's ah'right. It's okay. You're safe now."  
I then remembered Lacie was standing there, unsure of what was going on and no doubt questioning who this was.

"L-L-Lacie, i-i-its ok. H-He's a friend." I stuttered. She makes her way over and out of the corner of my eye, another man comes over. I knew who it was.

It was Optimus.  
Well, his holoform. Anyways, I remained glued to Jazz when he arrived and Optimus asked if I was alright. I tried to tell him I was ok but I was a wreck. I couldn't find any words to say. But, I did let him know Lacie may need to be looked, considering she had been a prisoner of war for a long time.  
After a few minutes, Jazz and Optimus led us to their alt-modes, where Ironhide and a red Lamborghini were nearby. Who was the other bot with Ironhide? I thought. I assumed I would find out later on. But I got a strange vibe from it, as if I had seen it before. I shook the feeling off, bringing my attention back to the present. Jazz had me ride with him while Optimus took Lacie. We we're headed back to base, I found out, where Lacie would be able to get the tracking device removed hopefully and we would discuss what had happened. But right now, I was in no mood to talk about it and Jazz understood. We drove in silence. The only thing that could be heard was the thrumming of Jazz and his spark as time sped by.

Playlist  
Renegade by Styx


	16. Fortune Teller

A/N: Ello everyone! I hope you all are doing ok and you're enjoying the story! A quick little note about this chappie: it won't have a lot going on, just mellow scene between Lennox and Emily, just so you know and at the end of this chapter, I have an announcement for you all... Enjoy!

I stared out the window, my mind stuck in time. The scene in Dallas kept repeating like a broken record. I hadn't said a word since Jazz drove me back to base and frankly, it no doubt worried him even more. Jazz's holoform occasionally glanced at me before returning his gaze to the road ahead. Every time he would look at me, I wouldn't meet his gaze. Soon, the silence was broken and Jazz decided to try and get me to talk. 

"Em, I need to know what happened." He said, his voice stern and serious. I noticed his accent was gone. I mentally cringed. He was either mad at me or extremely protective and at this point, I was really hoping it was option B. I didn't answer him at first, just continuing to stare out the window. Jazz sighed, looked at me, and said

"Lil' lady, Ah need ta know if they did anythin' ta you." I slowly met his eyes, my brown ones staring at his blue eyes. I shook my head in reply.

"No." I practically whispered. He didn't say anything after that. Sky, trees and houses whizzed by and soon, we made it to N.E.S.T. Jazz drove into one of the main hangar bays and I got out. He transformed, followed by Optimus, who was behind him. Lacie exited his alt mode and was taken by some soldiers to the medbay to remove the tracking chip. I prayed to God and Primus that she would be ok. Everything after that seemed like a blur. If felt like seconds passed, that time sped up. Jazz offered to walk with me to the medbay but I told him I was fine and that he didn't have to. Jazz gave me one last look, one that said 'You sure?' and then headed off to do some errands. I managed to make my way to the med bay without falling over. Ratchet was the one who was performing the surgery on Lacie in another medical room, so he wasn't there when I arrived. I remembered that he wanted to do some tests on my powers before this whole mess started.  
So, there I was, sitting on the human sized examination table and I was tired as heck. I must have fallen asleep because soon, I was out like a light.

3rd POV

Lacie had been in surgery for about an hour and Lennox was worried. Another civilian, a teenager nonetheless, had been pulled into this mess. It was bad enough that Emily was a part of it but now someone she knew was too. After Emily and Lacie had been rescued, it seemed like everyone was on edge. When would the 'Cons next move be? What was their plan? Their movements were becoming less and less predictable...  
A hand rested on Lennox's shoulder and he jumped in surprise. Lennox quickly spun around and saw it was Epps.

"Dude, calm down!" Epps told him. Lennox sighed and ran a hand through his hair. 

"Sorry, Bobby. I'm just-"

"Wound up? Worried? It's fine. I think everyone is at this point. After everything that's happened, I am too." his friend reassured him. Lennox nodded and then remembered something. Where was Emily? 

"Hey, have you seen Emily since they got back? I want to talk to her about something." Lennox asked, concern evident across his face and Epps noticed. 

"She looked a bit worn out when she came in. I think I saw her headed to the med bay."

"What? Why?" now Lennox was starting to really worry. Was she alright? Did she get hut and not tell anyone?

"Ratch' wanted to do a check up on her powers. She's probably there for that." Epps replied. "You're worried about her, aren't you?"  
Lennox nodded. "Yeah, I am. She's still just a kid and been through stuff kids her age shouldn't have to go through. I'm worried that she won't be able to live a normal life by the time this is all over." He was concerned for the girl. With no family, and no home, Emily had no place to go. Ever since she had saved him in Mission City, Lennox seemed a little protective of her, as if she were his own daughter. But she wasn't. Maybe that could change...

"Will!" Epps's voice snapped him back to reality. Epps waved his hand in front of his face and laughed.

"You really care about her, don't you?" Epps asked quietly with a smile. Lennox warily smiled back.

"Yeah, she concerns me to the point where I can have a heart attack but yeah, I do."

"Then go talk to Emily. You need a break from this."

"Are you sure?"

"Go! It's fine. I can take care of things from here." Epps reassured him. Lennox thanked him and left, making his way over to the med bay. It was a short walk and within a few minutes, he opened the door and saw the brunette laying down on one of the examination tables sleeping. He chuckled at the sight. Emily looked like a grown baby sleeping. Lennox went over to the sleeping girl and gently woke her. Emily lazily opened her eyes and sat up.

"Huh? Lennox, what are you doing here?" she said tiredly as she stretched. Was something wrong? Emily's eyes widened with fear.

"Oh my god! Is Lacie ok?" she asked frantically. Lennox placed his hands on her shoulders to calm her down and looked at her sternly.

"Em, Lacie is still in surgery. As far as I know, she is doing fine. I came here to talk to you." he said. Emily quirked a brow. 

"About what?" she inquired. Lennox froze, struggling to form the words he wanted to form that were in his mind. Come on, it's not that hard! he thought to himself. But instead of  
the words he wanted to say, he instead said (a/n: lol rhyming!) 

"I wanted to talk to you about making you a suit for combat." God! Why is it so hard to say it?Lennox mentally slapped himself. Emily's body perked up at the words 'suit' and 'combat'. Then she put her hands in a 'Wait'/'Stop' gesture. 

"What? But I'm not a soldier! I don't even know how to fight!" she protested as she waved her hands about wildly. 

"Which is why you are going to be training to fight. If the Decepticons plan to strike again in the future, you need to be able to fight back, with and without your powers." Lennox stated calmly as he knelt a little to be eye level with the panicking girl, rubbing her arms to calm her.

"Would Ironhide be training me?" she asked hesitantly and he nodded. Emily then looked at him like he was crazy with wide eyes and put her head in her hands.

"Oh Primus! Well then, I'm screwed!" Now it was Lennox's turn to raised an eyebrow.

"And why is that?"  
All he got was a 'Really?' look and a gesture to her prosthetic limb. Lennox shook his head in amusement.

"Listen, 'Hide isn't that harsh when it comes to training. I think he'll go easy on you." he said to her. Emily was quiet as she just sat there in silence, as if thinking it over in her head. She then spoke up, saying

"Who's designing my suit? Am I going to be able to see if it's good for me?" Lennox had someone in mind for designing the suit. But knowing that person, she would be very hard to reach on such short notice. She was a busy person and someone not to be rushed. 

"She's a friend of mine and yes, you'll be able to consult in the design."

"But who is it?"

"E." 

"Just E?" 

"Yes? That's what everyone calls her." Lennox explained and Emily sighed as she laid back down on the table. There was an awkward silence in the room. Neither person knew what else to say. Lennox said

"Alright, I better go. Epps probably needs my help back in the squad room. Do you need anything before I go?" Emily just replied

"Just let me know how Lacie is ok? She's the closest thing to family I got." Lennox nodded in understanding. 

"Wait!" Emily said and she hugged him, her small hands wrapping around his waist. Lennox hugged her back and placed his chin on top of her head.

"Thank you for everything, Lennox." she whispered into his chest.

"You're welcome, Emily. You know, you parents would be proud of you." he said. Emily lifted her head and stared at him.

"I think right now, they would be scolding me for doing a lot of stupid decisions so far." she said softly.

"No. Listen, you saved my life and you saved Lacie's. You chose to do the right thing, not something stupidly wrong. No. I think they are smiling down at you. You are a great kid. Don't think otherwise." he stated firmly lifting Emily's chin to look at her. She smiled, with tears starting to form and she hugged him again. He returned the gesture and gently released her. He waved goodbye and she waved back, walking back over to the table to wait for Ratchet.  
As he left, he mentally cursed himself for not being able to ask Emily what he wanted to ask her. He didn't want to wait for when this was all over. Anything could happen between now and later. Why was it so difficult? Lennox knew her parents and they knew him. Heck, Lilian was even friends with Sarah! They were very close. But since their death, Lennox felt responsible for Emily afterwards. When he had found out about Emily avoiding the foster system and living on the streets, he felt even more guilty.  
He sighed in frustration as he left the room and back the squad room. Epps was there and he asked

"So, how did it go?" 

"I didn't ask. I couldn't." he answered. Epps lightly clapped his shoulder and frowned.

"What happened, man? What did you talk about?"

"Designing her suit and training. I wanted to ask but I don't think she would have wanted to, Bobby." 

"I getcha man. Do what you think is right in the end. She'll be fine no matter what. Knowing her so far, I think she'll say yes." Epps said. He knew what Lennox had been meaning to ask and he was with him all the way. Lennox couldn't agree more to what Epps thought. He then made his way over to a nearby desk and sat down.

"I'm going to call E and make the arrangements for her to come." he stated as he flipped open his phone to dial the number. Epps chuckled.

"Oh, that woman is going to have a field day with Em."

"You have no idea." Lennox muttered and he punched in E's number, hit send, and waited for the ring.

"This is Enda." a German-Japanese accented voice spoke on the other end.

"Hello, it's Lenn-"

"Ah yes, darling! How are you?" the voice suddenly boomed from the speaker and Lennox had to quickly pull the phone away from his ear to avoid going deaf. Epps silently stood by, laughing his sides out.

"I'm good, E. Listen, is it possible for you to come down for a few days? I need a suit for someone and she's going to need it for the future."

"And who is this someone?"

"A daughter of a friend of mine." was Lennox's only reply.

"Say no more, say no more. I'll be leaving tonight. Expect me to arrive by tomorrow, darling." 

"Alright. Thanks, E." 

And with that, Lennox hung up and sighed. He glanced at Epps, who managed to compose himself from earlier. 

"Man, like I said, E is going to have a field trip." This time, Lennox laughed.

"Oh you have no idea."

Playlist  
Fortune Teller by Maroon 5

A/N: Ok! So as I mentioned earlier, I have an announcement to make: I have decided to make a SEQUEL TO THIS STORY!!! Don't worry, there will be more chapters to this story. IT AIN'T OVER YET!! But I recently was debating on making a sequel to Street Magic and I decided I will! It will take place between the 2nd and 3rd movies. I'm not saying the title of the sequel of it yet. I will reveal it towards the end of this story. But yeah! That's all! Thanks so much for everything you guys! I love you all!! Rock on!  
-Shadowjumper3


	17. Radioactive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ello everyone! So, here’s the new chapter! A special guest will be coming to base and Emily discovers something that will change her life. And because I am unable to post pictures along with the story, Emily’s suit is kind of similar to a Tron suit, only with a blue/purple color. It’s on my Deviantart page if you want to check it out!  
> Thank you all for the reviews!  
> So, without further ado, the new chapter!

I sat there in the med bay, waiting for what seemed like an eternity. Time meant nothing. The only thing I could think about was Lacie. Was she ok? I unconsciously drummed my fingers against the table that I had been sitting on. Minutes passed and soon, the door to the med bay opened, revealing the familiar yellow and red color scheme of Ratchet. I jumped up from the table and ran over to him. 

"Is Lacie ok?" I quickly asked him. Ratchet looked down at me and smiled. 

"She is going to be fine. I managed to remove the chip. Lacie is resting as of right now. What are you doing here?" he replied as he walked over to his desk and started to look at some files. I sighed in relief. Lacie was going to be ok. 

Thank God and Primus. I thought. 

I have nothing to do with her healing process, nor does your God. Primus said to me sassily. I mentally chuckled.

It's an expression. I thought back. There was no reply and I drifted back to reality because Ratchet was calling my name.

"Huh?" I asked confused. Ratchet sighed and repeated

"I was asking you why you were here. I had thought that you were to be training with Ironhide."

"But I thought that you wanted to run some tests on me and my powers, health, things...I don't know!" I shrugged. I was no medical expert, so I had no idea what Ratchet wanted to see. The Autobot CMO knitted his eyebrows in confusion at first, but then realization set in. He then walked over to me and picked me up, setting me back down on the examination table. Ratchet held his hand out to me and I felt a tingling sensation throughout my body. I shivered at the sensation and looked up at Ratchet, who glanced at me and then his arm. He didn't say anything at first and that made me nervous.

"What is it?" I asked. Ratchet was silent. Instead of answering me, he placed his fingers on the side of his head. After a few minutes, the door opened and in stepped Optimus and Jazz. My eyes widened slightly. Why were they here? Was something that bad? 

"Hello, Optimus. H-H-Hey Jazz." I greeted them and Optimus dipped his helm in response. His eyes, I noticed conveyed guilt and sadness. He looked pained, but why? He then turned to Ratchet and conversed quietly with him. Jazz was staring at me with anger and that made me flinch. Was Jazz mad at me? Why? What as going on? I strained to listen to Optimus's and Ratchet's conversation but I couldn't hear what they were saying. The fact that no one was telling me anything was making me annoyed. I huffed in frustration. 

"Is anyone going to tell me what's going on? Or am I going to be left in the dark?" I asked, annoyance evident in my voice. Ratchet turned to me and said slowly

"The energon in your blood is trying to get rid of what t thinks is unnecessary and replace it. In this case, your blood." 

"What?" I said completely confused. Ratchet vented a sigh of slight annoyance. He walked over to me and pointed to my arms and chest.

"When you touched the Allspark, energon entered your bloodstream and started to attack your blood cells because it thought your blood was an foreign invader. It is killing your blood and organs." he explained with a solemn expression. 

"Will that kill me?" I asked him, my eyes slightly wide with worry. Ratchet silently nodded as he said

"Yes, when the Allspark's energy decides to complete it's 'cleansing', your organs and heart could give out." 

You shout it out

My brain froze and my breathing became hitched. It felt like the air had just been knocked out of me. 

But I can't hear a word you say

"How long?" I whispered. I feared his answer as I sat there, unmoving.

"A few months." his voice spoke almost inaudibly. No doubt he was heartbroken too. I didn't say anything. I couldn't. Basically, I was going to die once I completed my job with reviving Cybertron. But I didn't want to die! I was still a teenager, one that hadn't gone to college or got married. The mere thought of the new Ratchet had just told me was devastating. I didn't know what to think. 

"No. No no no! Ratch' there has to be another way! Ya can't do anythin' to stop its progress?" Jazz desperately asked. A shake of the helm was all he got in reply and Jazz growled in anger. He then suddenly punched the wall, causing the whole room to shake and vibrate. A very loud clang! resounded throughout the room and I flinched. I had never seen Jazz so mad before. He was usually so clam and care-free, but now, he was obviously mad. Not at me but what was happening to me. Optimus stepped forward towards the silver Autobot and calmly tried to calm him down.

"Jazz, please stand down. I understand that this is not what you want to hear but this is not the time nor place to lose your temper." he rumbled. Jazz stopped and vented a loud sigh. He looked down at me and knelt down.

"Ah'm so sorry, lil' lady." was all he said as he tried to comfort me by rubbing a clawed digit carefully along my tiny frame. A tear escaped my eye. 

I'm talking loud 

Not saying much

Jazz then activated his holoform and pulled me into a hug, in which I cried into his holoform's chest. He brushed my hair soothingly, muttering words of comfort in attempts to calm me down. Optimus and Ratchet looked on in silence before Ratchet broke it. 

"We will find a way around this, youngling." he whispered. I didn't reply. I really hoped that he was right. After Ratchet wordlessly took a look at my prosthetic and made sure I was ok otherwise, I numbly left the med bay to see Lacie. Jazz followed, watching me like a hawk. I didn't blame him, especially after what I had just found out. I didn't even care anymore. I just wanted to him with me. I broke out into a sprint as I sped down the hall, hearing Jazz's voice to tell me to slow down. I needed to make sure she was safe and okay. Once I entered, I saw Lacie. She was laying on a white bed with a heavy bandage wrapped around her head and she was sleeping. She looked so peaceful. I almost choked back a cry. How was I going to tell her about me? I didn't want to see her cry when I leave. She was my best friend and I had found out a few minutes ago that I was going to die because of what happened to me years ago. She was going to live and I wasn't. Life wasn't fair.   
I walked over to the bed where she lay and sat down in the chair next to her. Lacie's white and red hair was slightly disheveled and I lightly laughed. I grasped her hand into mine, tears once again threatening to fall. 

"I can't leave you. I don't want to." I whispered aloud. I didn't care if she could hear me or not. But I felt like she was listening somehow. Suddenly, I heard the door open and as I turned to see who it was, the holoform of Optimus came into view. I guess Jazz decided to stay outside to give me a moment alone with Lacie. I looked back at the sleeping form of my best friend before returning to gaze back at Optimus.   
Optimus took my hand into his and gently squeezed it.

"I-I..." I couldn't find words to describe what I felt and he just stared me with guilt and pain on his face. He then enveloped me into a hug. 

"I am sorry. You should have never have been brought into this war. This is my fault." he rumbled. I lifted my head in shock.

"No! This is NOT your fault! It's mine! I'm the one that touched the Allspark! I should have never went to work with mom and dad! Maybe if I was gone then maybe they would still be alive!" I was practically and hysterically shouting now. Optimus had let go of me and was looking at me with a surprised expression. He then put his hands on my shoulder, like what Ratchet did earlier and very seriously stared at me.

"Emily, do not speak that way. None of this is your fault. It was my job to protect this planet and your parents. I had sworn to. Allowing the Allspark to be placed in your government's hands was my mistake. It is not your fault. I am deeply sorry. Please know that." Optimus said to me. His statement made me frown and tear up. It wasn't Optimus's fault, despite what he said. It didn't change the fact that I was the one to blame.   
I looked at Lacie, who was still asleep. She didn't deserve to be put in the middle of this. She's here because of me. I looked away. Since I had time left before the final battle, I wanted to make the most of what I had. So, I got up and affectionately patted Lacie's hand in comfort. Then, I turned to Optimus and said

"Let me know when she wakes up, ok?"

"You will be the first to know." He assured me. He then rose from his chair, making his way to me and followed me out. Jazz quickly stood straight and walked over to us. Unexpectedly, Optimus stopped abruptly in the middle of the hallway. What was going on? Was everything ok?

"What is it?" I asked him. Optimus turned to me and answered

"Lennox has just informed me that a woman has arrived to create your uniform. They are in his office at the moment." I quirked an eyebrow. How was he able to contact Lennox in his holoform? I guess I would ask about that later. But the real question: was this the E person Lennox mentioned earlier? I asked 

"Alright. Um, do you think you guys can-" I began to ask. I didn't know where Lennox's office was, considering I had never seen it or had reason to. So, to my surprise, Optimus know what I was asking, because he responded with

"We would not mind at all." And with that, we walked together towards Lennox's office. Optimus's and Jazz's large strides were no match to my smaller ones, especially since I had a slight limp with my prosthetic. I had to jog a little to keep up with him and their towering frames. After a few minutes, we got to Lennox's office and once we walked in, Lennox was there speaking to an unfamiliar woman. She was noticeably short with short black hair and large round glasses. She wore black all over. She seemed like a no-nonsense type of person. 

Lennox stopped talking and saw us come in. He smiled widely and and waved us over. My heart dropped to my feet. Lennox didn't know yet. About my situation. How was I going to tell him? How would he react? I looked to Optimus, who nodded to me and remained where he was while Jazz and I walked over next to Lennox.

"E, I would like you to meet Emily. She is the girl I spoke to you about the suit."

The woman looked up and down at me and extended a hand.   
"Hello, darling." She said with a heavy German-Japanese accent.

"Emily, this is Edna Mode. She will be designing your suit. She is a very well known fashion designer for people with powers." Lennox introduced her to me.

I shook Edna's hand and smiled.   
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Edna." I said and Edna waved her hand dismissively as she replied

"Please, I'll have none of that! Call me E. Now, what do we have here?" She asked as she started to circle me. Her eyes stared at my body and leg with curiosity and wonder all over her face. What was she doing? I glanced nervously at Lennox, hoping that he would provide some explanation as to what Edna was doing. 

"Uh, excuse me? I'm a bit confused. What do you mean?" I asked dumbly. Edna sent me a glare before lightly slapping my leg and scoffing.

"What I mean is what are your powers? Your height, weight! Details, darling!" she exclaimed. I gave her a look of confusion, trying to process what she just said.

"Uh, invisibilty, teleportion, force field and energy manipulation?" I answered hesitantly. Edna then looked at me with an intent stare.

"Is this a question?" she asked me, gesturing to me wholy. I shook my head. She sighed and brought a hand to her head. 

"Darling, I have designed suits for people who are the same as you. My suits are designed to fit their powers like a glove. Yours, however, will be quite unique." she said and her eyes lit up like she had an idea. She beckoned me over as she brought out a sketchpad and a pencil. I sat down on the floor next to her while she sat in a chair. 

"I had made a suit for a young girl who had powers that are similar to yours. I have made a material that will disappear completely as you do." she began to explain as her hand glided across the page effortlessly. 

"What about my other powers?" I piped up. Edna brought a hand up and performed a 'shush' gesture without looking up from the paper.

"Ep ep ep! I am not finished!" she said. Edna was an odd woman. There was no doubt about that. I heard movement on the other side of the room and I saw Lennox walking out of the office with Jazz and Optimus before giving me a look. A pang in my chest ade me realize what they were doing. I hastily looked away and brought my attention back to Edna. She looked up from her sketch and stared at me. 

"You are different from the other supers i have worked with. You are young and still have much to learn." she said. I said nothing.

"William has told me that he is a friend of your parents." she said. I looked down, unable to answer right away. 

"Yeah, I guess you can say that." I whispered softly. 

"Have you told them about your gifts?" she asked.

"My parents are gone. That's why I'm here in the the first place. They worked with Lennox and the others. But they did know about my powers." I told her. Now, it was Edna's turn to be silent as she continued to sketch. Then, she resumed asking me questions about my powers. Soon, she stopped drawing and glanced at me. 

"This is just a rough sketch of your suit, darling. Of course, I still need to make changes and to see you demonstrate your powers." and she showed me her sketch. It looked like a spandex-leather mix of material. The color of the suit was black and there were lines that ran down the sides. The boots were also black. The intricate designs of the lines running down the sides were blue in color and looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. All in all, it looked amazing. I loved it.

"This is amazing!" I exclaimed. But then something stopped me. I glanced once more over the sketch.

"What about my prosthetic? Am I going to be able to wear it underneath the pant leg?" I asked worridly. Edna waved her hand dismissively and replied

"I will make the necessary adjustments to the suit when it comes time to. " I nodded in understanding and handed the pad back to her.

"Well, I like the design. Could you maybe explain how it adjusts to my powers?"   
Edna went on to explain the different materials she would use for the suit. All the while, I listened but my mind was thinking about what Optimus, Jazz and Lennox were discussing outside.

3rd POV

"What?!" Lennox shouted. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Optimus and Jazz had brought Lennox outside his office to discuss something regarding Emily. Optimus had just told him what Ratchet had found out earlier. 

"She is dying, Will. She does not have much time left. When she revives Cybertron, she will..." Optimus said, unable to finish his sentence. Lennox clenched his jaw and fist in anger. Why?! Why did have to end up like this? She was dying. It felt like someone had just punched Lennox in the chest. He couldn't breathe. What was he supposed to do now? The thought of Emily being gone made him feel like someone had taken Annabelle away. He cared about Emily, like she was his own daughter. Now, it was starting to affect him. 

"How much time does she have?" he managed to choke out.

"A few months. Six a most. Will, A'm sorry. Ah failed." Jazz replied as he tried to apologize. Lennox shook his head. 

"I think I just need some time." 

"William, I know that you want to ask her but now is not the time. She needs time." Optimus said.

"She doesn't have time! When will she be able to have a family? Or go to college? She doesn't have anyone! Waiting for the right moment is not something I can do, especially now!" Lennox shouted. Neither Optimus or Jazz spoke. With that, Lennox turned around and walked back towards his office, leaving Optimus standing in the hall with Jazz. Optimus, with a look worry and Jazz with one of guilt.

Lennox's POV

As he stood outide his door, Lennox deeply inhaled. Ever since he had been unable to ask Emily his question, it was then that he decided that he would ask her now. He didn't care if it was only for a few months. All he cared about was giving Em what she was missing. Holding his breath, Lennox opened the door and walked in. Emily was on the floor with E still discussing her suit and he cleared his throat. They both looked up and Emily's eyes widened slightly. 

"If you don't mind E, I would like to talk to Emily for a moment in private." he said softly. Edna nodded curtly and turned to Emily. 

"I would like to meet with you later, darling for you to show me your powers." she said and Emily nodded. Edna then got up and walked past them and out the door, leaving just him and Emily. There was silence for a moment. Lennox didn't know how to start. Words fumbled inside his head and he couldn't find the strength to speak. Emily noticed this and went over to him and looked at him, a look of worry on her face.

"They told you, didn't they?" she asked. He found himself nodding and he opened his mouth.

"They did. I'm so sorry, Em." he teared up. He hugged her, which she gratefully accepted the hug and rested her head on his chest.  
You need to ask her. he thought to himself.

"Em, I want to ask you something." he said as he released her to look at her.

"Ok. What is it?"

"I know that you've been on your own for a long time and I don't want you to get mad at me and think that I want to replace them." he said as he stumbled over his words. Emily looked at him with confusion.

"Replace them? Who? What are you talking about, Lennox?" she asked. He placed his hands on her shoulders and stared at her.

"I have started to love you like you were my own daughter, Em. I worry about you. Ever since you came back from Dallas, I wanted to ask if you would let me adopt you." he said. A gasp escaped the brunettes's lips as her eyes widened and she started to flicker, ghosting in and out of visibility. Then, he heard a sob come from her. 

"I don’t want to be alone anymore!”

Lennox smiled.


	18. Fade Into Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily starts her training and has some bonding time with Jazz.

I was happy that Lennox wanted to adopt me. Don't get me wrong. But I still felt like I was replacing my parents and that I wasn't ready to move on. I still missed them. After Lennox had asked me, he went to get the necessary papers for adopting me. I had to sign a lot of them. After many phone calls, there was only one thing left to do: getting a judge to finalize it. Lennox was able to get one that was a friend of his and within a few hours of waiting, the judge arrived and sat us down in Lennox's office. All the while, my mind couldn't grasp what was actually happening. I was getting adopted, by Lennox! My heart was nearly bursting with sadness and joy.   

"Emily?" Lennox's voice made me snap to attention. I blinked at jerked my head at him. Lennox had a small smile as he said gently

"You okay?" I mutely nodded. The judge, who had been sitting across from us handed us a single piece of paper as he told us 

"You are all good. Young lady, you will be doing fine."  
I smiled, turned to Lennox and hugged him tightly. I started to cry a little. I was going to have a family. After 2 years having no one, I wasn't going to be alone. Lennox embraced me and we stood there for what seemed like forever. A mix of emotions bottled up inside me. Joy, happiness and then sadness hit me like a truck. I had only a few months left. My life was going to be cut too early before I could enjoy my new life. 

I am sorry, child. Primus's voice rung inside my head. I mentally glared at Primus, tears threatening to fall. 

You didn't even bother telling me what was going to happen to me if I was going to bring back Cybertron. Was that your plan this whole time? To use me and then get rid of me like a rag doll?

You do not fully understand-

I inwardly screamed in anger and blocked Primus out before he could reply back. I didn't want to deal with the god. I was beyond peeved with him. I released my hug and asked Lennox

"So what will happen to me now? Am I going to live with you? Do I still call you Lennox?"  
He chuckled as he held up a hand to stop me from bombarding him with more questions. 

"For now, we're going to start with finding a cure for you. I don't care how long it takes me. You keep fighting it. No matter what. Keeping fighting for me, Jazz and Optimus, ok? I just got you and I don't want to lose you." He said with a tear escaping his eye as he knelt a little to look at me in the eye. 

"Second, I don't care what you call me. I won't force you to call me anything. Just don't call me Dada. That's Annabelle's title for me." He said with a wink and I giggled softly. 

"Who is Annabelle?" 

"She's my other daughter she's five."

He has a younger daughter? Will she like me? Was she nice? Will his wife like me? What if they don't?

"Will your family like me?" I whispered, afraid of what was to come. Lennox answered, reassuring me

"I think they'll love you." 

Weird Time Skip! 

There were a few things that I had to do afterwards. Ironhide practically dragged me to the training room, telling me that my training with him was long overdue. Jazz and Ratchet were to supervise the session, just in case something happened. I recalled E also was going to watch, so that she could figure out how to synthesize my suit to my powers. So, as we got to the training room, Ironhide had me do some hand-to-hand combat. He used his holoform, which I had never seen before. His holoform looked a little older than Lennox. His hair was black with graying sideburns and he had a scar across his right eye. He wore army pants, boots, and a black t-shirt.  
We started, and I soon got the hang of it. Ironhide went a bit slow for me, allowing me to catch my breath if my leg was acting up. I learned the basics, punches, kicks and defensive maneuvers. All in all, I was proud of myself for being able to do it and so was Ironhide.

"Not bad, youngling." Was all he said and we moved on to the next lesson, which was practicing with my powers. At this point, I noticed Edna had entered the room and stood to the side with her hands behind her back. 

"Now darling, just demonstrate one at a time." She said and I nodded. I turned to Ironhide for his orders.

"Alright, Em. Pretend that I am a Decepticon. I'm trying to find you. This is when your stealth comes in. Even though you can turn invisible doesn't mean you are invisible. 'Cons have sharp sight and hearing. Make little to no sound when trying to hide from them." I nodded in understanding.

"Ok. We're going to do a little hide-and-seek, as you humans call it. If I find you, you're 'dead'. Got it?" he instructed me.

"Yes sir!" I responded and he grinned. I didn't want to disrespect Ironhide if I didn't say that. I mean, he was my instructor. The last thing I wanted to do was anger him. With that said, I ran off, turning invisible and sprinting off amid the various obstacles in the room. I heard the clunking of Ironhide's boots as he walked around me. When he moved, I moved. When he stopped, I stopped and I tried to ease my breathing so that I didn't give myself away. We were at it for a few minutes before I ducked behind another obstacle and my prosthetic made a squeaking sound. I mentally cursed. 

Fragglehopper! Seriously?! 

I looked up and saw that the weapon's specialist had glanced in my direction. Remaining cloaked, I stood there unmoving. Footsteps came from my right and I held my breath. Suddenly,

"You're dead." Ironhide's voice spoke to me. I sighed in defeat and uncloaked. Ironhide looked me over.

"Your prosthetic needs to be repaired, if you want to remain unseen." He told me. 

"Yessir. How did I do, otherwise?" I asked. 

"Not bad. But you still need a lot more training." he finished and I frowned. Ironhide then had me do some exercises using teleportation and force fields. Finally, the last thing was to test out my energon manipulation via music. It was at this point that Jazz was sent in to help me. He looked at me with a small smile and handed me my phone.  
Jazz was very emotional to say the least when he was told of my condition. When he had punched the wall back in the med bay, it reminded me that he was emotionally attached to me. He was my guardian and yet, he still felt that it was his fault that I was this way. I loved Jazz as my best friend, along with Lacie, and realizing that he would do anything to keep me safe made me feel like I mattered. I had only known the Autobots for a short amount of time and yet, it felt like I had known them for a long time. Once Jazz had walked into the training room, his face appeared solemn but he tried his best to hide it. 

"Do ya know what you're doin', lil' lady?" Jazz asked me as he handed me the phone. I nodded.

"Yeah." I fiddled with my phone for a minute. Jazz knelt down in front of me and stared at me.

"Em, Ah wish there was somethin' Ah could do to change things. You an' Ah both don' want this to happen'. Ah just don' wanna lose you." he said softly. He reached a clawed digit out and gently stroked my face. I felt myself start to cry a little as I grasped tightly onto his finger. 

"Jazz, I-I don't blame you for any of this. I-Its not y-your fault." I whispered. 

"But-"

"Stop. This is all on me. Right now, I-I just want to focus on the p-p-positive, ok?" I told him and Jazz mutely nodded. His face bore a slightly pained expression. He stood back up and gave me some space to start. Edna, who was still on the further side of the room, nodded to me. I glanced down at my phone and chose a song. Pressing play, I placed it on the floor beside me and waited. The music started and I began to tap my foot to the beat. 

Looking up  
There's always sky  
Rest your head  
I'll take you high  
We won't fade into darkness  
Won't let you fade into darkness

As I continued, I felt a sudden surge of energy build up inside of me. I looked down and saw that my body was glowing a bluish-purple tinge. It felt almost as if my body was vibrating, pulsing to the beat of the song.

Why worry now  
You'll be safe  
Hold my hand  
Just in case  
And we won't fade into darkness  
Fade into darkness  
No we won't fade into darkness  
Fade into darkness

All of a sudden, energon was shot outwards from my body and flew in all directions. The music unexpectedly stopped. I gasped in shock as the wave of energon almost knocked Jazz back a little, causing a loud screeching of metal to be heard throughout the room as he fell over with a thud. I ran over to him and placed a hand on his foot. 

"Jazz? Are you alright? I'm so sorry about that!" I apologized profusely but to my surprise, Jazz grinned at me. I quirked an eyebrow in confusion.

"Ah'm fine, Em. But Ah gotta say, that was amazin'!" he said to me. Jazz slowly got up from the floor and was careful not to step on me. His feet danced around me as he stood up and looked down at me.

"I could have hurt you." I told him with a frown.

"But ya didn't." he argued. I didn't say anything as I turned to Edna only to find out that she had mysteriously disappeared. I frowned. I guess she had seen everything she wanted to see so she left. I sighed and faced Jazz again. Leaning against his foot, I looked up at him.

"That was an experience." I commented, referring back to what I had just done. Jazz chuckled and nodded.

"Yeah. You ah'right though?" he asked.

"I don't know. It felt like my body was vibrating and it still is a little. At least I didn't shatter the lights this time. Honestly, I didn't think my body would be able to handle it." I grumbled. 

"Are ya sure you're ah'right? Ya look a bit worn out." my guardian asked worriedly.   
I nodded my head and Jazz held out his hand for me to climb on. I got on and we left the room to meet Ratchet and Ironhide outside. The CMO were waiting for us, Ironhide was nowhere in sight. Ratchet stepped towards us. I felt the familiar tingle of his scanner going over me.

"No changes..." he was muttering and I shared a glance at Jazz.  

"Ratch', is she good to go?" Jazz impatiently inquired and that earned him a glare from the yellow Autobot. 

"For now, yes. But I want daily updates on her. I don't want anything happening that's severe." he answered. Jazz dipped his helm in acknowledgement and we departed from him. Jazz's thunderous steps echoed throughout the halls. With me in his hand, I had a good view of, well, everything. We continued walking until I realized I had no idea where he was taking me.

"Dare I ask where we're going?" I asked him. 

"Ah thought we could just chill for a bit. Ya just had training and ya look tired." he replied. My mouth made a silent 'Oh' and I remained quiet. It wasn't long until we arrived at an empty room for some peace and quiet. Jazz set me down on the floor and we both sat down. 

"Hey Jazz?" I suddenly asked. He turned and looked down at me.

"What's up, Em?" 

"Can you promise me something?" 

"Anything fo' you."

"Promise me that you'll never leave me, even if it's only for the next few months." I requested, my voice cracked as I said it. Jazz didn't say anything right away and I thought that what I said wasn't something he wanted to hear, especially now. However, I felt one of his fingers slowly lift my chin up, forcing me to look at Jazz. His visor dimmed a little and his face contorted into a small smile.

"Ah'm not leavin' ya, Em. Ah'm your guardian and friend. Ah promise Ah'll stay. Ya don't deserve to be alone. We're here for ya. Never forget that."  
Jazz's words made my heart swell with pure joy. I rested my head against his hand and said

"Thanks Jazz."

"You're welcome, lil' lady. Get some rest. Ah'll be here." he told me. I obliged and closed my eyes, letting the thrum of Jazz's spark lull me to sleep. Before I did fall asleep, I heard Jazz say

"You'll be safe. Ah won't let ya fade into darkness."

Playlist  
Fade Into Darkness by Avicii


	19. All I Want Is Love

As Emily fell asleep, Jazz stayed online to carry out his promise. As he sat there with his charge in silence, Jazz could barely hold his emotions together. The saboteur became very close with the girl and when Jazz found out about her deteriorating health, he was devastated. After everything they had gone through, in the end, she was going to lose her life? It felt as if someone had stabbed and crushed his spark. Jazz was familiar with death. He had lost comrades back on Cybertron, but this…this was different. From the time when he accepted his role as guardian to Emily, he did everything he could to protect her, even if it meant hurting her in the process. Flashbacks from when she screamed at him for not saving her parents made his spark ache. 

That he would never forgive himself for. He wanted to tell her about it but he didn’t. It pained him to do that to Emily and now, she didn’t have much time left. What will happen between now and then? Jazz looked down at Emily, who was peacefully asleep. He gently reached a digit out and stroked her head.   
Ah don’ know if Ah’ll be able to handle it, losin’ her. His mind thought. Her love for music, compassion and fierce personality are what made the two an unforgettable match. He admired her for her ability to fight and push through everything she had already endured. His thoughts were interrupted, however, when suddenly, Jazz’s comlink sprang to life and it took all of his strength not to move in alarm as to wake Emily. 

::Jazz.::

It was Optimus’s voice that spoke,

::What’s up, Optimus?::

::Is Emily with you?::

::Yeah. She’s restin’. Lil’ lady was worn out from trainin’. Why?::

::Mission briefing. Come to the control room. Also, Ratchet has informed me that Lacie is awake. If you could let Emily know, I am sure that she would like to see her.:: 

::Ah’ll let her know. Ah’m on mah way.:: 

Jazz ended the link and very gently nudged Emily to wake her. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at him wearily.

“Hey, Lacie’s awake if ya want to see her.” He told her and this seemed to catch the brunette’s attention. Her eyes widened and she shot up onto her feet, running off to the medbay in excitement. The sight of his charge being that excited to see a friend made Jazz smile. He then went to the control room and saw Optimus, Ratchet and Ironhide already there, along with Lennox and Epps. 

“The Decepticons wish to use the Allspark for destruction. To Earth and to Cybertron. They will use it to bring back a darker Cybertron and they will do it to Earth. Because Emily has retained the Allspark’s energy, they will stop at nothing to have her. If the Decepticons succeed in their plan, we may never be able to see Cybertron as it once was.” Optimus stated. 

“Lacie was able to tell us the location of the Decepticon’s base.” Ratchet added in.

“Lacie’s parents are in Michigan. They have been looking for her for a year. When I called them to let them know we found their daughter, they were very emotional. I plan on driving Lacie back home tomorrow.” Epps spoke up to the group and Optimus nodded.

“I understand. I would advise you to take Sideswipe with you.”   
Epps gave him a thumbs up and a ‘will do’. Optimus turned back to the rest of the Autobots.

“The rest of us will engage recon and then search and destroy. The Decepticons have been spreading war and destruction for a millennium. Now, this is our time to protect our home.” He continued. This was all that the Autobots needed to hear to start preparing for the mission. As Optimus assigned duties to everyone, he came to Jazz.

“Jazz, I want you to protect Emily. I do not want to risk having another human’s life loss, especially one that is a friend. She means a lot to all of us.” He said. Jazz was about to protest but then decided against it. He wanted to be there in the end but he knew protecting Emily was more important. There was no arguing with the Prime, so Jazz accepted it. Optimus then left to speak with Lennox. Just as he was about to leave, Jazz heard Epps ask Lennox 

“Have you told your family about you taking Emily in?”

This made Jazz freeze in his tracks. What? He turned around, optics wide with confusion and shock, and looked at Lennox.

“Whaddya mean?” Jazz asked Epps, who looked up at the silver saboteur, noticing the confusion in his voice and glanced at his partner.

“You didn’t tell him?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. Lennox shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Tell him what?

“I wanted to make it official. I was going to tell him when I okayed it with Sarah.” He replied. 

“Make what official?” Jazz asked the captain.

“I adopted Emily.”

Jazz blinked. Will adopted her? When? Why, especially when she was sick?

“When did this happen? How did Emily react?” he asked Will. 

“Earlier today. When I asked her, she was pretty emotional. But I think she’s happy with it. I’ve been wanting to ask her since she went missing. I was pretty close to her parents.”

“Ah don’t think that-” Jazz began but Lennox interrupted, not really finished with his explanation. What he said next was

“Her folks made me her godfather. I looked at Emily’s file that we found earlier and saw that Lilian and Robert had me down as her godfather. Her freaking godfather and they didn’t   
even tell me!” Lennox practically whispered. 

"What's a godfather?" Jazz asked confused.

"A godfather is someone who the parents choose to take care of the child if anything bad happens to them." Epps explained.  
He was happy for Emily. His spark soared as he thought of Emily having a family again. 

“William, what you did meant more to her than what you believe. I have faith that you will do well as her father.” Optimus told him. Lennox glanced up at the red and blue titan before nodding and excusing himself and Epps from the room. Epps went to prepare to bring Lacie home for the next day and Lennox went home to tell Sarah the news of adopting Emily. Before they parted ways, Epps suddenly asked Lennox

“Where did Fashion Mode go?” Lennox laughed as he turned to him, stuck his hip out, and replied with an imitation of E.

“Well, I am sure I don't know, darling. Vould you like to find out?” 

Needless to say, that resulted in both men doubling over in fits of laughter and tears, causing Optimus and Jazz to give them strange looks. Yes, everyone. You can make grown men cry. But only if one does an imitation of the famous Edna Mode when she is not looking and nail it.

Emily’s POV

As soon as I heard that Lacie was awake, I immediately went to go see her. I reached her room and saw that she was sitting up in bed. 

“Lacie!” I exclaimed and ran over to hug her. Her head turned and she smiled as she saw me. We embraced. Her hair was down with the white thick bandage wrapped around her head from the surgery and her eyes looked a bit tired. Nonetheless, she still managed to smile at me as she let go and said

"I'm so glad you’re okay."   
A lump formed in my throat as she said this. She didn't know I was dying. I asked how she was doing.

"I'm getting better, still super sluggish. Oh Em, I'm so sorry for what happened! I didn't know that-" she started to say but I raised a hand to quiet her.

"It's not your fault, Lac. Okay? You didn't know. It's okay. We're here and you're safe." I told her. She looked at me in such a way as if to say 'Are you sure about that?'. I danced around telling her about my condition and what was happening to me. She didn't deserve to know. I know she was my best friend but if she found out, she would be devastated. So, we talked for a while. I told her about what had happened since Mission City, how I saved Captain Lennox, met the Autobots and me being chosen to revive Cybertron. Lacie was in awe with what I told her. When she found out, she was speechless. Lacie let me do most of the talking. I didn’t blame her. I knew she didn't want to discuss her time kidnapped. It must have been traumatizing for her. Anyways, after we were done talking, a nurse came in to help Lacie get out of bed. She told me that Epps was coming to bring her home soon and she was to start getting ready to leave. 

I went to hug her one last time. This was probably going to be the last time we saw each other. I hugged her and didn't move for what seemed like an eternity. 

"Take care, ok Lacie?" I told her through emerging tears. She nodded with tears in her eyes as well and she said

"You too. Go save the world. Just promise me that you'll come back."   
I forced myself to smile and nod. Lacie let me go and she looked like she wanted to cry. She squeezed my hand one last time. I returned the gesture and said

“I’ll try my best. We should spend weekend together sometime. Slumber party, ok?” I asked her. She nodded, hugged me, and we separated. As I got up to leave, Primus's voice rung in my head.

Why did you not tell her? 

I sighed.

You wouldn’t understand. I replied.

Is she not your friend?

She is. I just…She wouldn’t be able to handle it if I did. 

Primus didn’t reply after that and I was thankful. Lacie and I had a special bond, almost like the one I had with Jazz. She was practically my sister, my other half. I knew keeping it from her would hurt her, but it was for the best. Anyway, as I left Lacie’s room, I walked around for a little bit, my mind wandering as thoughts swirled inside. All of a sudden, I heard footsteps behind me and I felt a hand fall onto my shoulder. Out of instinct and from being leery since being captured, I shrieked, whipped around and activated a mini force field in my hand. Then, without really looking, I punched the mysterious figure right in the face. As soon as I did, the person stumbled back and doubled over in pain, clutching their nose.

"OW! What the frag?" the man exclaimed. I quirked an eyebrow. That sounded like a curse word but not an English one. Was this guy Cybertronian? He looked up at me with blue eyes and silver hair. He wore a white shirt underneath a redish jacket. He looked familiar. Then I remembered his voice. It then clicked in my head that I had met this guy, when I had first arrived on base. That morning when I had first started walking again, this guy and his friend were saying stuff to me. I glared at him. I never knew his name, so maybe now I could finally found out.

"You again. What do you want?" I asked him curtly. He straightened up and gave me a look over and smirked. 

"Oh, so you do remember me! Wow, you got a mean punch." He said, not really answering my question. 

"Yeah and I'll do it again if you don't tell me what you wanted." I said with a deadpan expression and folding my arms across my chest. My eyes must have looked either dead tired   
or just plain annoyed because he looked at me and he backed up a little, his hands thrown up in defense. 

"I was just going to get Lacie for Epps to bring her home. Sorry. Listen, we got off on the wrong foot. Just don't punch me again!" He said. I threw him a look that said 'Really?' and shifted my weight on my good foot. This man had a bad sense of humor. He chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck and continued.

"I never got to tell you my name. I'm Sideswipe. I'm sorry for what my brother and I did earlier to you." He stuck his hand out for me to shake. I eyed him for a moment and then slowly shook his hand. 

"Emily. Who's your brother?"

"Sunstreaker."

Great. There were two of them to bully me around. 

"Yeah. Sorry for punching you. I'm just a little jumpy right now." I apologized to Sideswipe. 

"It's fine. Where did you learn to hit like that? Were you raised by cannibals or something?" 

"You saying I hit like a wimp?" 

"No no no! Frag, you almost broke my nose!" He shouted out now. Now it was my turn to smirk. 

"Maybe this is payback from what you did to me earlier. I didn't really like what you said to me. Humans are touchy on a lot of subjects and you managed to hit a nerve." I muttered. 

"Well, let me make it up to you!" Sideswipe assured me. I waved him off. It was going to take a while for me to actually forgive him. 

"Listen, right now, I appreciate you doing this, but I think it's going to take more than something like a gift for me to forgive you." I told him and he slumped a little upon hearing this. For all I knew, he could have been lying and at that point, I was a bit leery of trusting some people. 

"Oh." 

"Look, I gotta go but perhaps some other time, we can work things out, ok? It was nice meeting you though." I told him and he smiled a little. Just as he was about to turn around and leave, I quickly called out to him

"If you try anything on my best friend, I will come after you!" This caused Sideswipe to visibly shudder and nervously grin. With that, I nodded in approval and continued heading down the seemingly never ending hallway, trying to find something to do in the meantime. Sideswipe seemed like a decent person. He did try to apologize, but he still verbally hurt me, he and his brother. Abruptly, it occurred to me as we departed ways that Sideswipe was an odd name for a human. 

Wait a minute.

The striking blue eyes, the unnatural hair style. 

Sideswipe was an Autobot! I physically slapped myself for it realizing it before. Boy did I feel stupid. Everything that had happened to me up until now seemed like a blur. Primus and the Autobots were all looking at me to help restore their home. And the one thing I still couldn't figure out was how.

How in all of that is high and mighty was I supposed to revive a flipping planet with invisibility, teleportation and force fields? None of that helps!   
Needless to say, I was stumped and I couldn't ask Primus about it because of his stupid Yoda wisdom. 

I do not know who this Yoda is, but I can assure you that I am not like him in helping you seek answers. Primus whispered to me. 

You know what? I'm not even going to answer that.

Before the god could reply, the loudspeaker crackled to life and I heard

"Emily Whitefield, report to Captain Lennox's quarters immediately."   
At that, I try to sprint to where Lennox's office was. My prosthetic made a popping sound and I felt a burning sensation as I ran in my left leg. I hissed in pain but continued to run. Once I made it, I practically stumbled into Lennox's office and fell. Thankfully, he was there to quickly run over and helping me up. 

"Are you okay, Emily? Why did you run over here?" He asked me as he brought me to my feet. I panted heavily as I held up a finger to tell him to give me a minute. I swallowed and stood up straight. 

"Didn't want to be late and keep you waiting. What was it you wanted me for?" I rasped out. Lennox gave me a look, as if to make sure I was really ok before telling me

"I wanted to let you know that I'm bringing you home. I let Sarah know and she and Annabelle are ecstatic to meet you."   
I froze right there. I'm going home? I actually had a home now. My brain had almost forgot that I had been adopted and that I now had a family. I was happy that I was going to meet my new family. I smiled widely and hugged Lennox. Looking up at him, I said

"Thank you. But what about everything else? The Decepticons?" 

"The bots will be monitoring their activities while we're home. They'll let us know if something comes up. Right now, I want to just bring you home and let you rest for a while. Ok?" He replied. I nodded in understanding. I couldn't wait for what was to come. Either way, I knew I was going to be happy.

Playlist  
All I Want Is Love By A Great Big World


	20. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily meets a boy who has a secret of his own that connects him and Emily to the restoration of Cybertron...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Zyon does not belong to me! He belongs to a fellow writer of mine: the core of justice on fanfiction.net! Check him out!)

A few days had passed and soon, it was time for me to head to the Lennox home. Granted, I was happy to have a home, but it felt as if I was going to be intruding on Will’s and Sarah’s life. So here I was, standing in the middle of the hanger bay door on base with nothing but my guitar. I didn’t really have anything else. Jazz stood by me, as well as Ironhide and Optimus. Ratchet was busy in the medbay. I flickered nervously.

“Lil’ lady, don’ be nervous. It’ll be ok.” Jazz said with a smile. I looked up at him with a frown. 

“But what if Sarah and Annabelle don’t like me? What are they going to say when they find out that I’ll only be around for a few months?” I asked quietly. At this, Jazz frowned and looked at Optimus. The Prime then transformed and activated his holoform. He placed his hands on my shoulders as he said

“I believe that they will still love you despite what happens.” 

I stared at him for a moment, my brown eyes looking at his blue ones before nodding in understanding. Optimus smiled gently at myand his holoform fizzled out. I sighed and turned to Lennox, who was finishing with packing his bags into Ironhide’s alt mode. The weapons specialist grumbled something like “You plan on bringing bodies with you? Your bags weigh a ton.” 

Lennox laughed and replied  
“It’s only for a few months, ‘Hide.” He then turned to me and waved me over. “You ready to head home?” I looked at him and then around the base, the only other place I had grown use to since coming here. 

“I guess.” I said softly. Will smiled and he nodded to Jazz, who transformed and opened his passenger door for me. It was decided that Jazz would stay with the Lennox family along with Ironhide for the time that I was staying with them. So, I went with Jazz and Lennox went with Ironhide as they left the base and headed home. Optimus would escort us and then he would return to base. All the while, the closer they got to the Lennox home, the more I started to flicker like a struggling candle. She was extremely nervous. Jazz gently tightened the seatbelt around me, a way of reassuring me it was going to be okay. Soon, Jazz slowed to a stop. A white house with green shutters stood beside a big and somewhat worn out barn. The property was surrounded by a brown fence and tall grass. I stared at the house, not moving. 

It looks so much different from my old house… I reminisced as Jazz activated his holoform and stepped out. Lennox walked over to them. He noticed I hadn’t moved and he sighed. 

“Em, it’s alright.” He said as he slowly opened the door and helped me out. Just then, the front door to the house opened to reveal an older blond-haired woman. That must be Sarah. She walked over to Lennox, embracing him in a hug and kiss. Then, she looked over at me. I nervously shifted my weight on my good leg as I stared at the ground. She came up to me and smiled.

“You must be Emily. Will told me so much about you. Welcome to the family.” She said as she hugged me. That caught me off-guard. She liked me already? What exactly did Will tell her? I gave Will a confused look and he chuckled. Sarah seemed like a nice woman and pretty. As she led us inside, I had forgotten about one thing. 

“MOMMY, IS MY SISSY HERE YET?!” a voice screamed from the stairs. I winced at that. Before Will or Sarah could answer, a short blur with light brown hair ran downstairs and collided into my legs that I almost fell backwards. She had big brown eyes and long light brown hair. She looked around eight years old. It then suddenly clicked in my brain that this Energizer bunny was Annabelle. She stared up at me and put on the biggest smile I had ever seen and said

“Hi sissy. I’m Annabelle. What’s your name?” she asked as she latched onto me like an octopus. I managed a smile as I looked down at her.

“I’m Emily.” Annabelle giggled as she hugged me. She then saw my leg. 

“What that?” she asked, pointing to it and Sarah scolded her. 

“Belle, we don’t point and we don’t ask rude questions.” But I waved her off politely. 

“It’s ok.” I told her and I knelt in front of Annabelle. 

“I saved your dad from an accident and I ended up getting hurt.” was my way of explaining it. I didn’t want to traumatize her when I just met her. She mouthed ‘Oh’ and nodded in understanding. Annabelle was a cute girl. She had a lot of energy and was fun to play with. Will showed me to my room, which was right next to Annabelle’s. I started to unpack with Will’s help and soon got settled in. Then, a knock came at my door. I squeaked in surprise and turned invisible. It was only Jazz in his holoform. He laughed and said

“Ah ain’t that scary, Em!” I only gave him a glare in response and he grinned at me before turning to Will. “Optimus wants to talk to ya.” He told him and Will nodded with a sigh.

“Alright. Em, you going to okay?” he asked. I nodded and he kissed my forehead before nodding to Jazz and leaving to go talk to Optimus. Jazz looked around and sat on my bed as I continued to unpack. Will was kind enough to get me some new clothes before I arrived, so I was thankful for that. My room was relatively large. It had blue walls and a large bed with a bedside dresser. A desk sat beside the window looking out to the farm. I placed my violin by my desk and sighed. Jazz gave me a concerned look. 

"Lil' lady, you okay?" he asked. 

"Hm? Oh yeah. I'm just still trying to make sense of all this. I need a vacation." I replied as I sat down beside my guardian. Jazz nodded in understanding and wrapped an arm around me. 

"Ah hear you, Em. Ah know..." he said softly. I sighed. It felt weird for me, finding a family and a new home. Yet, I still missed my parents...Sarah's kind voice from downstairs brought me out of my thoughts. 

"Emily! Can you come downstairs?" I looked up and yelled back

"Yeah! Give me a sec!" I got up and led Jazz downstairs to see Sarah, Annabelle and Will in the kitchen. 

"What's up?" I asked them as I sat down in one of the chairs by the counter. Will grinned.

"There's an eagle presentation in town and we wanted to know if you were interested in going." he explained. Honestly, I wasn't a fanatic with birds but I did find them pretty cool. So, why not go? I mean, if it meant bonding with Will, Sarah and Annabelle, sure. I nodded.

"Sure, Why not?" I said with a smile and Sarah smiled back. We all got ready and we headed out. Jazz came with us and once we got to town for the presentation, we all filed out. I looked around as Jazz activated his holoform. There was a crowd of people around a little stage. We made our way over to it and I heard what sounded like a young boy's voice. As I got closer I was able to get a better view. The presenter was a boy a little younger than me, African American and brown hair. He had an eagle on his arm as he talked. But there was something...different about this boy. I couldn't place it. The boy finished his presentation and he looked at me. I flickered a little, feeling his eyes on me. His eyes widened and his mouth opened in shock. 

Til' all are one. Primus's voice echoed in my mind. What? What did that mean? I continued to stare at the boy as he slowly made his way over to me. The crowd was started to disperse and soon, it was just me and him. Lennox, Sarah and Annabelle were looking around at the eagle display that was nearby. The boy stood in front of me, his eagle on his arm and stared before he said 

"Who are you?"  
Wow. What a question to start things off. I swallowed and stared back, eying 

"A girl." was my sassy reply and the boy gave me a look. 

"Obviously. What's your name?" he asked. 

"Emily. Your turn." I said, crossing my arms. 

"Zyon and this is Asger." he said softly, gesturing to the eagle on his arm. Asger screeched and ruffled his wings, looking at me and giving me what looked like a death glare. I gave Asger a 'What the heck' face and looked back at Zyon. There was an awkward silence between us. He seemed very shy as he looked away and then back at me, unsure what to say. Jazz had been standing nearby, keeping an eye on me and I saw that his eyes had widened when he saw Zyon. That got me confused. What was wrong? I gave Jazz a worried look before turning back to Zyon. What he said next made my whole body freeze.

"You're the Allspark?"   
My brain screeched to a halt and I stared at him, mouth open in shock and confusion. Trying to keep my cool, I took a deep breath. See, no one was suppose to about my involvement with the Autobots. I mean, no ordinary person. So how in Primus's name did this boy know? But instead of saying something to refute him, I said

"Excuse me?" 

"You're the Allspark." he said again, more of a statement this time. I waved my hands in front of me and laughed nervously.

"No! I have no idea what you're talking about. What's this Allspark you speak of?" I asked with a nervous smile. Zyon gave me an unconvincing look.

"You're lying." He said simply with a frown. 

"Phhttt! No I'm not! ......ok maybe I am. Wait a minute! How do you know about the Allspark?" I asked, grabbing his shirt collar and dragging him off to the side and giving him a straight face. Zyon stared at me with wide eyes in slight fear before saying, no whispering, 

"Primus told me." Now, it was my turn to stare at him with wide eyes. He continued to explain. "I'll prove it. Before you came over to me, he told you 'Til all are one.'"   
I stared at him. "H-How..." I struggled to find words when I felt a familiar yet odd presence wash over me. 

Emily, the boy is my vessel. Primus' voice spoke in my mind.

It's true. Even though you can hear Primus, I can too and since you're the Allspark and I'm his vessel, it works out. Zyon's voice came through to me in my head. I held my head, shaking it. 

"Woah woah woah! Hold on. You're his vessel." I said, pointing at him. Zyon nodded a little. "Is that how you found me? Primus led you here by talking to me?" 

"Yes. He said I needed to find you. He needs us to both revive Cybertron. Your powers can bring it back and I need to restore Primus to the planet." Zyon explained. My brain was trying to make sense of everything he was telling me. Well, I knew he wasn't lying. The whole mind-speaking things kinda reassured me of that. I sighed heavily, rubbing my head but before I could say anything, Jazz had made his way over to us and looked at Zyon. 

"Hey, Em. Who's your friend?" He asked me. 

"Uh, Zyon." I managed to say. Zyon smiled a little and waved shyly. Jazz waved back and shook his hand. He then turned to me and said

"Your dad is looking to head back. You ready to go?" I nodded.

"Yeah. I was very...interesting meeting you, Zyon." I said, turning to him. Zyon nodded back.

"Maybe we can hang out again soon." 

"Sure." And with that, we awkwardly said goodbye and left. I followed Jazz back to his alt mode and met up with Will, Sarah and Annabelle. All the while, my head was spinning from meeting Zyon. Should I tell the bots? How did he end up being Primus's vessel? When would I see him again? All these questions were floating around by the time we got home and when everyone went inside, Jazz noticed I was still outside.

"Ya ok, lil lady?" He asked me, worry in his voice. I nodded. 

"Just...a lot going on in here." I replied, tapping my head with a sigh. He grinned. 

"Ya thinking about that boy?" He asked as he transformed and nudged me teasingly. I glared at him, swatting him away. 

"Jazz! Not like that! Ew! God!" I exclaimed with a weird look. He laughed as he and I sat down in the grass. 

"I'm just messing with ya." He said. I gave him a look.

"Sure..." I muttered. Jazz scooped me up in his servo, bringing me to his spark. I yawned tiredly and rested against him. He smiled. 

"Get some recharge, Em. Ya need it." He said softly and I nodded, my eyes drooping as I relaxed in my guardian's servo. Soon, I fell asleep peacefully. What an eventful day and it was going to get even more interesting.


	21. Symphony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playlist-Symphony by Clean Bandit Ft. Zara Larrson

A few weeks went by after Jazz and Emily had arrived at the Lennox house. The teen had grown close to Annabelle, who remained almost glued to her side. They would play dolls, play pranks on Ironhide when he was home and bake. Emily loved her adopted sister. Annabelle was always fully of energy and never stopped smiling, which worried Jazz about Emily. The brunette had started to feel more and more drained of energy. Her face had gotten paler and she always looked tired. Emily insisted she was fine but Jazz didn't believe her. The first morning he had seen her like that he did a quick scan of her. It was a Saturday and she had been sleeping, something that Emily had trouble getting ever since they arrived. He remembered scanning her and feeling his spark drop to his pedes. Her health had gotten worse. The energon in her body had practically replaced all of her human blood cells and now it was exhausted, that it had nothing to cling on to live, in a way. 

Bottom line, she didn't have long unless Ratchet could help her. It was quiet that one morning, around 9am and Emily still hadn't gotten up, which worried both Jazz and Lennox. Jazz went upstairs as Lennox and Sarah began to have breakfast with Annabelle. He headed to Emily's room and knocked softly.

"Em?" he called softly. There was no answer and he frowned. He knocked a bit louder. Still no answer. Jazz sighed and slowly opened the door, stepping inside and looked over at the bed where the brunette laid. She looked fine from where he was, so he walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, gently shaking her awake.

"Em, it's time to get up." he said and she groaned from underneath the covers, curling up more. There was a muffled "No." from under the mass of blankets. He sighed. "Come on, lil' lady. Ah don't want ya wastin' your day in bed." 

Emily didn't reply as she stopped moving from under the blankets. She started coughing and her face peeked out from beneath. That's when Jazz internally started to panic, his eyes widening when he saw her. 

"Stay in bed. I'm going to call Ratch'." he said with a shaky voice as she managed a tiny nod and her eyes drooped. He quickly stepped out into the hall and contacted Ratchet that morning.

::Ratch'! Ratch', you gotta get here quick.:: Jazz almost shouted into his comlink. Ratchet answered grudgingly.

::I'm in the middle of Optimus's check-up. What could be so important that you need to interrupt and order me to get to the Lennox residence?:: the CMO asked.

::It's Emily. She's not doin' well.:: he told him. Ratchet quietly cursed under his breath and the saboteur heard a clang in the background. He winced, glad he wasn't in the room with him. There was a moment of silence before Ratchet spoke up.

::What are her symptoms?:: he asked. Jazz quietly went back into Emily's room, where the girl was sleeping. Her face was a bit pale with her lips appearing slightly blue. She shivered a little but she was covered in blankets. Her prosthetic laid beside the bed.

::She's lookin' pale. Her lips are blue and she's shiverin'.:: Jazz told him. Suddenly, Emily started coughing as she slowly sat up. But what scared him the most was the fact that she had coughed up energon. Drops of a blue liquid fell to the floor and on the bed as Emily covered her mouth. Jazz's optics widened and his spark clenched as he ran over to beside her. He steadied her. 

"Em? Em! Scrap!" He exclaimed as she breathed heavily. 

::Jazz! What is happening?:: Ratchet asked as he was still on the com. link. Footsteps were heard running through the hall and the door opened to reveal Lennox. He was in his regular clothes as his eyes landed on Emily. His eyes widened and he ran over to them. Jazz held Emily up, her legs under the blankets and her upper body in Jazz's arms. She shivered.

::She started to cough up energon!:: he told Ratchet, fear rising in his voice. 

::Slaggit! Keep her awake and take any blankets off of her. If she's burning up, blankets will only add to it. I'm on my way!:: he shouted and then hung up. 

"Jazz, what's going on?!" Lennox exclaimed as he tried to keep Emily calm. 

"I don't know! Ratch' is on his way!" He said as he held Emily close. He found himself shakily stroking her head. The saboteur felt his spark pound against his chest. He cared for his charge so much that it pained him to see her like this and it angered him even more when she was kidnapped by the Cons and probably hurt. Yes, he did doubt himself to be able to protect the girl but he was there for her no matter what. He found his spark aching for her every time she left and every time she was in pain, it pained him even more. He hadn't told Ratchet about that but now it was getting more and more hard to hide. There was an emotion he thought he would never have towards his charge, something that kept growing each time he was with her or saw her:

Love.

It had started when he found out that she was giving a few months to live and since then he couldn't stop his growing love for her. Jazz hadn't told anyone about it. But he knew he was going to have to tell him when he arrived. Emily shook in Lennox's arms as Jazz heard the sound of crunching gravel outside. He glanced out the window and saw Ratchet's alt mode parked in front. The front door opened and shut loudly, followed by running footsteps. Emily's door swung open to reveal Ratchet with a medical bag in hand.   
He rushed over and ushered Lennox aside, checking Emily's temperature. He cursed as he quickly started taking out equipment. 

"What? What's wrong?" Lennox asked frantically. 

"She's burning up! The energon in her is literally burning her from the inside! Her lungs are filling with energon fluids!" Ratchet explained as he gently sat Emily up and quickly took the blankets off of her. She whined and weakly tried to get them back. She shivered and coughed. The color on her skin was a faint blue, making Ratchet narrow his optics slightly to inspect it. 

"Youngling, I know you feel cold but you're burning up." He said. Emily managed a small nod as he examined her skin. "The energon is making its way to her heart. I need something to counteract it from reaching it." He said as Emily started coughing again. Lennox ran a shaky hand through his hair as he looked at her. 

"Like what?" He asked Ratchet. 

"Something that can act like a magnet to keep it away from her heart. Energon is the only thing that can repel it. Normal human blood won't help." Ratchet told him. Lennox's eyes widened.

"You want to put more energon in her when it's killing her?" He exclaimed. "No! I'm not doing that to her!" 

"William, I don't want her to offline either!" Ratchet shouted. Emily whimpered, becoming a pale blue as she laid back. Jazz stared at her with wide and pained optics. He didn't want her to die. Not Emily. His spark almost broke in half as he watched her be in this much pain. He went beside Emily and held her close before looking down at her. He tried keep his breathing even. Then he remembered something. Back when he saved her from Scorponok, she fell unconscious from the amount of energon she used to fight him off. He donated some of his own energon to help balance out the effects and she got better. What if it worked to keep the energon away from her heart? But the only way to keep it permanent was to... He stroked Emily's head.

"Ratch' what if I-" Jazz asked but was then interrupted by the medic. 

"No. Do you know what could happen if something went wrong with that? The consequences?" He exclaimed with a hard look. Jazz didn't back down as he gave him a glare in return. Lennox looked utterly confused at the two. 

"With what?" He asked.

"Forming a bond with Emily." Ratchet explained. "There's a possibility it may work but the consequences are fatal." 

"Wha-fatal?" Lennox sputtered. "No!" 

Jazz narrowed his eyes and growled.  
"She's dyin'! Doing it is probably the only way and I don't want her dyin' because we didn't do anythin'!" He said. Ratchet ran a hand through his holoform's hair, sighing. He looked at Lennox, who was staring at Emily with a sad look. 

"Will, it's your call." Ratchet said softly. Lennox stared at Emily for another moment before looking at the two Autobots. 

"Ok. Do it." He said. Ratchet nodded and gestured for Jazz to return to his bipedal mode. Ratchet held her up. She was having trouble breathing as her lips turned a dark blue and she coughed violently again. Jazz's holoform fizzled out and he online does outside. Ratchet carried Emily outside with Lennox following and placed her in Jazz's clawed servo. He held her gently so as she wouldn't fall and held her close as his spark thrummed against her head before opening his spark chamber.   
He placed her close to it and allowed his spark to wrap her in its warmth. He could feel the bond beginning to form as he felt her heart beat match his own.

"Come on, lil' lady. Don't give up now. Please..." he murmured. Then, he suddenly felt pain through the newly formed bond and he gasped softly and grimaced. Jazz tried to send love and comfort through the bond, knowing Emily had no idea what was happening but it was the only way to ease the pain. He stroked her gently with a clawed digit and waited. 

Emily's POV  
It was dark as I slept. I could feel the energon getting closer and closer to my heart. But suddenly it stopped. What happened? It seemed like I was standing in a black void and out of the darkness came a glowing blue ball of light. What was that? 

"Hello?" I called but I got no answer. I slowly walked closer to the ball and curiously reached out to touch it. A tendril shot out of it and made its way towards me and I stepped back with wide eyes, scared. The tendril reached out and I squeezed my eyes shut. 

"Please don't hurt me." I whispered. It touched my face gently. That surprised me and I opened my eyes to see the ball of light pulling me towards it. It felt...warm, almost familiar. Soon, I was engulfed in it and a very familiar voice said 

"Will you hold me tight and not let go?"

I let my heart flutter. "Jazz?" I asked as I tried to look for him but he wasn't there. The only thing that was there was the ball of light. But yet, it sounded like his voice was coming from the ball of light. Then, realization dawned on me. The ball of light was Jazz's spark. I teared up with happiness and was about to hug it before I was thrown out of the black void and thrusted back into reality. I jerked up and my eyes snapped open, flailing for a minute as a clawed servo hovered over me. Blue optics looked down at me worriedly as Jazz held me in his servo.

"Em, it's ok. I got ya. You're ok." He murmured softly as I slowly calmed down. I saw Ratchet beside him along with my dad. Ratchet was scanning me and pulled my dad aside to talk privately. I breathed slowly as I clung to Jazz. 

"W-What happened?" I croaked out. My guardian looked down at me with complete relief and sighed softly. He stroked my back gently with a digit as he said

"You were really sick. You..." he trailed off. "The only thing that we could do was..." he seemed at a loss for words to explain to me. I looked up at him. 

"What?" I asked quietly. He drew a breath.

"I bonded with you. It was the only way to keep the energon away from your heart to keep it from killing you." He said softly and I stared at him. To be honest, I didn't feel exhausted or sick anymore. I looked at my hands and body. My lips and chest weren't blue anymore and I did look healthy. So it was Jazz's spark I saw before! I stared up at him.

"Bonded?" I managed to ask a bit confused. 

"A bond is when we form a special connection with a charge, a sparkling or a sparkmate." Jazz explained. "We feel the other's emotions and when one gets hurt or is in pain, we feel it as well." He shifted his hold on me so I was fully facing him. "Let me show you. Don't panic, girly ok?"  
I nodded as he stared at me with a small smile and almost immediately I felt a wave of love form in my heart. My eyes widened as I gasped softly, unfamiliar with the feeling. I looked up at Jazz.

"Is that-" I began shakily and he nodded. It felt amazing to be honest. But that wasn't all.

'Can you hear me, Em?' Jazz's voice sounded in my head, causing me to yelp in surprise.

'Jazz?' I asked with wide eyes. 

'It's ah'right. I'ts just meh talking through the bond. Ah think you call it telepathy?' he explained and I relaxed, nodding a little. I looked up at him and he smiled a little. This bond thing was so new to me I was confused and didn't know how to feel. I would now share an emotional and mental connection with Jazz. It was both a bit weird yet, it felt...right. I couldn't exactly explain it. But I must have been lost in thought because Jazz nudged me with a digit. he looked down at me in worry.

"Ya ok?" he asked softly and I managed a small nod. Ratchet had come back over with my dad, who ran over to us. Jazz gently set me down on the ground and Dad engulfed me into a hug, kissing my head. 

"I'm so glad you're ok." he whispered and I hugged him back. Ratchet quickly scanned her while she was hugging Lennox and vented a sigh of relief. 

"She appears to be healthy. It worked. Her life span has increased exponentially." he grumbled as he walked away, putting something into his datapad. I felt utter happiness and joy. I was ok and all thanks to Jazz. Jazz watched him leave and visibly relaxed. Dad released me and looked between Jazz and I. 

"I'm going to give you two some time alone. But I'm going to check up on you ok?" he told me with a serious look and I nodded.

"Ok." I said and he eyed Jazz before leaving to go back into the house. That just left the two of us outside. The sky was blue with a few clouds and the sun beamed down. Trees blew a bit from a slight breeze. Jazz looked down at me.

"Em, I want to talk to ya about somethin' important." he said. I looked up at him, a bit confused and worried. 

"Oh ok." I said. He transformed into his alt-mode and activated his holoform, leading me to the pasture for some privacy. What was wrong? I thought as I followed him and sat down beside him. He breathed slowly as he stared ahead at the grass in silence. Then, he looked at me, uncertainty and worry in his eyes. Jazz opened his mouth and said softly

"I...have somethin' to confess." I looked at him.

"What is it? You can tell me." I told him. He took a deep breath and what he said next made my heart skip a few beats.

"I love ya, Em. More than a guardian would to a charge. I love ya, more than a friend." he said softly.   
I stared at him, shocked and with wide eyes.   
Jazz...loves me?


	22. Love Somebody

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: *Slowly rises from the grave* I LIIIIIIIIVE!! I am SO sorry for the really really late update. College is so time consuming sometimes and marching band too. I have finals for the next few days and then I'm home for the holidays. I'm glad so many people loved the last chapter and wanted more! It makes me so happy people love this story!! I hope you all love this chapter because I absolutely adored writing it out! Enjoy!!

I stared at Jazz with wide eyes, turning invisible as my heart pounded against my chest. My brain was trying to wrap around what he had just told me. He loves me? Why? Since when? A million questions were in my head as I tried to find an answer. So, I did what any weird and sane person would do once I turned visible.

I started laughing.

Jazz looked at me with a confused expression, his eyes holding a bit of hurt and confusion in them. With a smile on my face, I kept laughing as I tried to stop.

"What's so funny?" Jazz asked. Taking a deep breath in, I managed to regain my composure before looking at him.

"You're funny." I said with a smile. I honestly thought he was joking but the serious and hurt face that he had made my smile fall. I stopped and stared at him, my eyes widening. "Oh you're serious?" I asked in surprise and Jazz nodded, activating his holoform beside me and gently taking my hands. 

"Em, I care about ya. I really do. I always thought ya were cute and an amazing girl. Every time I see ya, my spark goes crazy." he said. As he was talking, I started to think if I actually loved him. We did share a love for music and he was so caring to me. His voice was so...I couldn't place it but it was something I always loved to hear. I felt safe with him. Yeah, I know he couldn't prevent what happened the day of the crash but it was in the past. I accepted it and moved on. His optics...God, I got lost in them every time I looked at him. I couldn't help but secretly loving that I shared a connection with Jazz. Ever since he was appointed as my guardian, we grew so close.   
My heart was saying that I loved him too but my brain was saying something else. He was Cybertronian and I was...well, mostly human. Could it even work out? I mean, I was turning 18 soon and would be an adult. But were there any laws against it or would people laugh at us? What would Optimus or Dad think? These questions got me so immersed that I didn't realize Jazz was looking at me worriedly. I hadn't said anything a good five minutes and was looking at his hands with mine. 

"Lil' lady? You ok?" Jazz asked gently as his eyes looked at my brown ones in concern. I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at him, biting my lip. I really wanted to say how I felt about him and that I did love him but I was scared of the consequences. 

"I...I...I do love you too, Jazz but..." I whispered and my voice almost cracked as I tried to find the words and tell him my fears. There was silence between us. My head went down as I felt tears come in my eyes. Jazz frowned a little and his hand reached over and held my cheek. It was a gentle touch, one that said I'm here. Its ok. "W-What if it d-d-doesn't work? What about Optimus and Dad?" I whispered as I blinked back tears and looked at him. Fear crept in. There were so many things that could go wrong. Jazz leaned his forehead so that it was against mine. 

"Em? Hey, sweetspark. It'll be ok." he whispered. "We'll be ok." His eyes were soft and he smiled a little. I felt a wave of comfort pass over me, remembering it was Jazz sending it through our bond. I stifled back a small sob before managing a tiny nod. He gently used his thumb to wipe my tears away and smiled at me. I sniffled before he slowly pulled me into a soft kiss. His lips met mine and my brain went blank. It made my heart flutter and my cheeks heated up as I blushed in surprise. My eyes closed, melting under the kiss as it felt like Cloud 9. Soon, Jazz pulled away and I was still blushing when I opened my eyes. He looked a bit nervous as he saw me blushing. 

"Was that a bit...." he started to ask and I shook my head. 

"No, it's ok. I was just surprised. I liked it." I whispered, just audible enough for him to hear me. He smiled a little and I found my hand slipping into his. It was soft but yet firm. I smiled back as our eyes met. "I am glad I have you." I said quietly.

"I'm glad I have you, Em." Jazz said softly. There was a moment of silence a sudden voice broke it. 

"Why you kissing Jazzy?" I whipped my head around to see Annabelle standing there in her blue overalls and a pony shirt holding a stuffed teddy bear. She was looking up at me and Jazz with curious blue eyes. I blushed nervously. Had she been watching us this whole time? Jazz smiled and chuckled as Belle came over and sat in between us. I looked at Jazz, trying to find words to answer her question.

"Were you standing there the whole time, Belle?" I asked with a raised brow and she nodded, repeating her question.

"Why you kissing Jazzy? Do you love him like Daddy loves Mommy?" she asked. I sighed, looking at her and nodding.  
"I do. Jazz was telling me how he felt and I felt the same, so we kissed." I explained it simply so that she would understand. Thankfully she did and she didn't ask anymore questions. Belle actually didn't mind at all about Jazz and I dating. She loved Jazz just like she loved Ironhide and my saboteur loved her. Wait my saboteur? When did I get so possessive? I thought.

Considering you are bonded to Jazz now, I am not surprised you are already doing so. I I was waiting for you both to say something to each other. Primus's voice rang in my head and I mentally glared at the deity. I could just see the smile on his face.

Since when are you so annoying and snoopy? 

I have learned much from your Earth's culture from the time the Allspark crashed here.  
Someone had some sass for breakfast. I rolled my eyes and mentally pushed the voice to the back of my head for now as I came back to reality. Belle was chatting with Jazz who listened and laughed. I smiled. Maybe things would be ok. I just had to convince Dad and Optimus about Jazz and I dating while on top of that, stop the Decepticons from destroying Earth. Should be easy right? Eheheh....nope. I brushed my brown hair back and sighed as I sat there quietly, looking at the sky. Hopefully, all will be well in the end.

Somewhere on the other side of the world

Megatron was sitting on a makeshift throne, fuming on how all of his plans to bring Cybertron back failed. He growled and slammed his fist down in rage as he activated his blaster and just narrowly missed Rampage's helm. He ducked as he glanced at Mixmaster and Ravage beside him nervously. No one dared approaching the warlord while he was angry. 

"My plans to revive Cybertron have continuously been flawed and failing! I am starting to think my followers are incapable of doing what they....are...TOLD!!!" the tyrant roared as he shot and missed Mixmaster's helm next. Megatron growled and deactivated his weapon once he was done. "So please tell me. What must I do to get what I want?!" 

"I might be able to help, just name your price." A voice came from the other side of the room. The unknown bot had a sly smile as he leaned against the wall flipping a coin in his servo. A Decepticon insignia shone on his chassis. Megatron narrowed his optics at him.

"I heard you're looking for something. I can help." the bot said as he pushed himself off the wall and walked over to Megatron. Mixmaster gave a wary look at the bot as he passed them. They knew who he was by the sound of his business-like voice. 

"Swindle." Megatron greeted with a nod. "I am. I need you to do something for me."  
Swindle nodded. "For you, Megatron, it's on the house. What can I do for you?" and the warlord smiled. This will work in his favor and the Autobots won't see what's coming. It will all be his and no one will be able to stop him. Cybertron and Earth will be HIS.


	23. Harder Better Faster Stronger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! So I know I've been really slacking on the updates for this story and I'm really sorry. I recently started the spring semester of my sophomore year in college. Between that and trying to coming with ideas for my other stories, its been really time consuming. *sigh* I really want to try and update more often than usual, especially with this story and I'm going to try REALLY hard to but no guarantees. I am really glad though you all have been loving this story so far and given me some feedback and comments on it! I REALLY appreciate it. This chapter may not have a lot going on in it and I apologize for that. I wanted to at least post a chapter for you guys and I promise the next chapter will have much more going on! Last thing, if anyone wants to RP with me about anything, feel free. I'm free all day pretty much so just PM me! Thank you guys SO MUCH!

So after Jazz had confessed his feelings to me and I did the same, the only thing to worry about then was telling Dad and Optimus. We were currently inside sitting in the kitchen. Jazz was holding my hand while Dad and Optimus stood across from us. I bit my lip nervously, my mind racing over the endless possible reactions Dad could have once we told him. I knew it probably wouldn't be good.

An hour later  
Dad was shocked and a bit upset at first when Jazz and I told him the news but in the end, he pulled Jazz aside and gave him a dad-to-boyfriend talk. They talked for a few minutes in whispers until Jazz came back with a somewhat scared look while Dad was looking content, smiling at me. I rolled my eyes at him and held Jazz's hand, smiling reassuringly at the saboteur. At that, Jazz relaxed a little and smiled at me. I saw that Optimus was a bit worried when he found out about us. He was frowning slightly. Jazz being...well, Jazz and me being human andhis charge/girlfriend made me a target. But the Prime knew Jazz wouldn't let anything happen to me. In the end, both men were overall ok with the two of us dating. I smiled, relieved that it all turned out ok. But Optimus still was very worried.

"Jazz, if something were to happen to her or you," he began and Jazz looked serious, something that was unnatural to see in my upbeat and happy-go-lucky guardian.

"Nothin' is gonna happen." He said and that made Optimus look at him silently. I couldn't tell but I think they were saying something via com link. After that, Optimus nodded and decided to leave Jazz and I alone for a bit. Huh, I wonder what that was about. So as the days went by, Jazz and I bonded more. I kept in touch with Lacie but I didn't see Zyon around much. I wondered where he was. Anyways, Jazz and I went to the local carnival, stargazed and sometimes just talked. Each time I was with him, I felt happier and always got lost in his bright eyes. It was a Saturday where Jazz and I were sitting in the grass behind the house. We were supposed to head back to base that day, so here we were, sitting by the front of the house waiting until it was time to head back to base. It had been a month or two since I came here and I have already called it home.  
I sighed. Home. 'Ya alright, Em?' Jazz gently nudged me through the bond, making me jump. I was still getting use to the fact that he could feel what I felt and vice versa. Sucking in a breath and nodding a little.

'Yeah. I'm ok. Still trying to get use to this.' I replied, sending a hint of confusion and reassurance through the bond. Jazz sent warmth and smiled as his bipedal form looked down at me. "Jazz?" I asked as I looked up at him.

"What's up, lil' lady?" he asked. It had been on my mind for a while if I was able to restore Cybertron, would Jazz leave me? Cybertron was his home, not earth. I looked down and felt my invisibility kick in. At that, Jazz frowned and knelt beside me. He gently used a clawed servo to lift my chin up. My brown eyes met his electric blue optics. "Em, what's wrong?" he asked softly.

"If...if and when I bring back Cybertron, will you leave me? After this long?" I whispered and Jazz's optics softened.

"I wouldn't do that to ya. Ya know that." He replied. I looked up him. His faceplates were in a small smile as he looked down at me. Hydraulics hissed a bit as he shifted a bit on his pedes. Despite his height, Jazz managed to rest his helm on my every so softly. "I ain't leaving ya, not in a million orbital cycles." I smiled faintly, assuming orbital cycles meant years, and rested my head against his helm. My heart felt lighter now that I knew Jazz was not leaving me. The bond we had made us literally inseparable and the thought of him leaving when this was all over made my heart ache. My heart hammered against my chest. I also understood why it took Jazz so long to tell me his feelings for me. He was scared. The worry and pain in his optics when he first told me how he felt about me was there. I didn't blame him. I was glad he finally told me. His love for me made me more...special and I loved it. The two of us sat there for what seemed like forever before we saw Dad, Mom and Belle come out of the house. Dad had his camo bag in one hand while the other held Mom's hand. Belle was on Mom's hip being carried. Dad went over to Ironhide, who was waiting in his alt. mode, and set his bag down, kissing Belle on the cheek and then Mom on the lips. I sighed, slowly getting up from the ground. My prosthetic creaked a bit as I did. I guess we're heading out. I thought.

'Yeah. I know ya don't want to but we gotta head back to base.' Jazz replied through the bond. He had read my thoughts and tried to provide some comfort for me as he swiftly transformed into his alt. mode. He was right. We had spent a lot of time here and it felt so good to be somewhere I could call home. I went over to Mom and Belle, hugging them. I was going to miss them. They were my family now and the thought of leaving them already made my heart sink ever so slightly. How did Dad do it? Always coming back home, only to leave again because he would get called back to base? hoped to stay here when this was all over.

"Be safe, ok?" Mom said softly as she kissed my head and brushed my hair away from my eyes. I nodded with a reassuring smile.  
"I will." I said and moved to Belle. The little blonde girl looked at me with those big blue eyes. She looked sad. Her bottom lip quivered and she suddenly threw her arms around me in a hug. I hugged her back gently. Belle sniffled.

"Love you, sissy." she said quietly and that made me tear up. I had been an only child before the accident and up until now, had no siblings. But now, Belle had taken a liking to me so quickly ever since Will took me in. She and Sarah didn't care what I looked like or who I was before. They saw me for who I am now and loved me.

"I love you too, Belle." I said back. I then pulled away and ruffled her hair, sending her a small smile. She smiled back, wiping her eyes. After we said our goodbyes, Dad and I went with our guardians and started to head back to base. It was a relatively quiet ride. Jazz played some music and it lifted my spirits a bit. We jammed out and I smiled. The seatbelt would give me a gentle squeeze every once in a while for comfort and it made me feel better. I stared out the window, watching the scenery speed by. It was quiet, just the music softly playing on the radio as we drove.

It's not safe. Primus's voice suddenly popped in and told me in a hushed voice, making me raise a brow.

What? What's not safe? I asked. Why did Primus decide to talk to me now?

You need to turn around now! They are here! I am warning you that you cannot allow the Allspark fall into the wrong hands!

They? Who's they? 

They are here for you and my vessel!  
...  
The Decepticons.

My eyes widened. Oh crap. No no no! "Jazz, we need to turn around now!" I exclaimed in a panicked voice and the music immediately stopped.

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly as he almost veered off the road and I was about to open my mouth to answer before the loud whistling of a missile speed over us was heard. I looked out the window and saw it abruptly hit right in front of Jazz's front end. He sheered out of the way just in time and my body slammed into the door frame, making me feel a pain in my shoulder and groan in pain. I glanced back through the rearview window to see Starscream in his bipedal mode looking at us with a grin. Jazz's radio came to life with Ironhide saying through the comlink with a growl

"It's Starscream, Blackout and Brawl!" Another missile struck the ground, this time, hitting right by the passenger side door. I yelped and Jazz swerved again, his tires squealing as he tried to escape. I could see Ironhide immediately transform with Dad holding his weapon by the warrior's pedes. They started attacking Brawl and Blackout. My face paled and I could feel my body flickering in fear. Starscream kept firing at Jazz and the saboteur growled angrily.

"Em, I need ya to get out and run. Can ya do that fo' meh?" Jazz said seriously. "I have to take Starscream or at least hold him off until Prime gets here ok?" I tried to breathe evenly and give a nod in understanding but I was deathly scared. Scared Jazz, 'Hide and dad would get hurt and scared I would get captured again. Jazz sent reassurance through the bond before he said "I won't let them get ya." Another missile almost hit his alt. mode. "Em, now!" he yelled and before I could say anything, Jazz opened the door and I quickly got out. We were by a dirt plain by the road, the sun almost blinded me as I scrambled to run towards any cover I could find. I managed to turn invisible and heard the familiar sound of shifting metal of Jazz transforming behind me. This was not happening...

3rd POV  
Compared to Starscream, Jazz was short but he used that to his advantage. He growled and had his blaster out pointed at Starscream, who grinned.

"You are standing in my way, Autobot." The seeker said, his pedes touching the ground from his aerial attack from before. Jazz glared at him.

"Ya lay one dirty digit on 'er, ya going to have to go through meh first, Starscream." He said as he kept his blaster trained on Starscream. Jazz had hoped that Emily did what he told her and ran. He couldn't bare to see her hurt. Thankfully, he didn't see her, which meant she was cloaked from the Decepticons. He could feel her fear through the bond. It was pulsing through and so strong and he tried to send comfort back to her before Starscream engaged him in battle. The seeker lunged at him, clawed servos swiping at him. Jazz ducked and shot at him, the ground shaking as he did. Starscream dodged and shot back. Jazz quickly sent a message to Optimus through his comlink.  
::Prime! We got 'Cons at our location! They intercepted us when we were on our way back to base!::

::Reinforcements are on their way. Is Emily and William alright?:: Optimus asked firmly, a hint of worry in his voice.

::Will is fine! I told Em to run and hide!:: Jazz responded. There was a moment of silence before Optimus said

::ETA 3 minutes:: and then he hung up. Jazz kept fighting Starscream off while Ironhide and Will fought off Brawl and Blackout. The two Autobots and human only hoped Emily was fine.

Emily's POV  
I was not fine. One minute, we were driving back to base and the next minute, Decepticons decided it was a lovely time to ambush us! Now, here I was running around for cover in total fear! Thank god I was wearing the suit E made. She had finished it a few weeks ago and it fit like a glove. The only thing was I never tested it out with my powers. Seemed like now was a 'marvelous' time to do just that. My leg flared in pain with the amount of weight I was doing with it. My lungs burned for air and I kept running. I had almost run into Brawl's pede but I managed to veer off in the other direction. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the edge of a forest and sped off in that direction. Diving behind a rock, I slumped to the ground to catch my breath. My heart thudded against my chest as I wheezed for air.

"Emily!" A sudden, yet strangely familiar voice whispered loudly. My head snapped up to see Zyon a few feet away from me with Asger on his shoulder. My eyes widened. Why the hell was he here?!

"Zyon? What the frag are you doing here?" I whispered with a wide eyes. If Ratchet or Dad knew I had learned any Cybertronian curses from Jazz or Ironhide, I was dead.

"I was told to help you." He answered, a hint of annoyance and worry in his voice. I sighed and frowned.

"Oh? And how may I ask? Decepticons who are 40 feet tall are out there attacking!" I hissed, making Zyon cross his arms. It looked like he had a plan. He went over to me and told me what to do. Once he was done, I gave him a 'Are you crazy?' look and sighed. No, he wasn't joking. I bit my lip, glancing back at the two fighting factions. Ironhide had taken a few heavy hits and it didn't surprise me that he was still kicking some Con aft. Thankfully, Jazz and Dad were ok. Zyon looked at me and nodded. I sucked in a breath and stood up, walking over out of our hiding spot and into the battlefield. My hands shakily took out my phone and pressed play on a song that started to blare, catching everyone's attention, including Jazz's and the Decepticons: Harder Better faster Stronger by Daft Punk. All optics stared at me as the fighting came to an abrupt stop. I froze. Jazz stared at me wide eyed, not knowing what I was doing and he was shocked. I gulped.

Well, this was going to well right? Zyon's plan was great!

Phhhft...Yeah, I don't think so.


End file.
